MONDAY SPORTS, APRIL 6, 2026
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell High School announced on Friday that Wes Morgan has been named head girls basketball coach for the 2026-27 season. Morgan previously spent 11 seasons with the Kernels, compiling a 134-125 record and leading the team to six state tournaments, including a 2012 state title. Since stepping down in 2019, he’s remained involved as an assistant coach for both boys and girls teams. Morgan takes over for Dave Brooks, who retired after four seasons
— Mitchell Kernels softball is scheduled to be at Pierre on Tuesday at 5:30 pm. The Kernels are still looking to open the season after having its game last week at Watertown postponed.
— Mitchell Kernels boys tennis will host Huron on Thursday at 1 pm at Hitchcock Park.
— Mitchell Kernels track and field is scheduled to compete in Huron on Friday at 2 pm.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— Dakota Wesleyan women’s golf will compete at the two-day Augie Invitational at Elmwood Golf Course in Sioux Falls starting on Monday.
— Dakota Wesleyan baseball is scheduled for a doubleheader on Monday at Briar Cliff starting at 1 pm. The Tigers 26-11 on the season and 9-1 in the GPAC.
— Dakota Wesleyan softball is scheduled for a doubleheader on Wednesday at Waldorf starting at 2 pm. The Tigers 14-15 on the season and 5-7 in the GPAC.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State softball was swept last week losing all three games to Kansas City, including the series finale on Friday 4-2. SDSU travels to Iowa City, Iowa, this weekend for a pair of games vs. Georgia Tech and Iowa starting on Friday.
— South Dakota State baseball had its three-game series cancelled last week vs. Omaha due to weather. The Jackrabbits are scheduled to host Northern State on Tuesday at 3 pm in Brookings.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD softball will be at Creighton on Tuesday at 6 pm.
NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP – MONDAY
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 2 UConn – 7:50 pm on TBS
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
— UCLA has captured its first NCAA women’s basketball title in school history, routing South Carolina 79-51 in Sunday’s championship game in Phoenix. Seniors Gabriela Jaquez and Lauren Betts led the Bruins, scoring 21 and 16 points respectively Betts, who added 11 rebounds, was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. The Bruins finished the season 37-1, bouncing back from last year’s Final Four.
— Michigan rolled into the NCAA men’s basketball title game with a dominant 91-73 victory over Arizona in Saturday’s Final Four matchup in Indianapolis. Junior center Aday Mara led the Wolverines with a career-high 26 points and nine rebounds, while forward Yaxel Lendeborg, despite a sprained knee, added 11 points and vows he’ll be ready for Monday’s championship game against UConn. Michigan built a double-digit lead just five minutes in outscoring Arizona 48-32 in the first half.
— UConn is headed to its third NCAA men’s basketball title game in four seasons after beating Illinois 71-62 in Saturday’s Final Four in Indianapolis. Freshman Braylon Mullins hit a clutch late 3-pointer, finishing with 15 points, while Tarris Reed Jr. added 17 and 11 rebounds. Illinois freshman Keaton Wagler led the Illini with 20 points in their first Final Four since 2005.
— Alabama head basketball coach Nate Oats has signed a contract extension, keeping him with the Crimson Tide after leading the team to the Sweet 16 this season. The new deal makes Oats one of the top five highest-paid men’s college basketball coaches in the country. Oats is 170-73 in seven seasons at Alabama, with six straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Final Four run in 2024. This season, Alabama went 25-10, reaching the Sweet 16.
NBA
— LaMelo Ball scored 35 points and Miles Bridges added 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Charlotte Hornets in a 122-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Julius Randle led the Timberwolves with 26 points and Bones Hyland added 18 points, six rebounds and six assists off the bench. Minnesota is in sixth place in the Western Conference, three games ahead of Phoenix with four games to play.
— Alperen Sengun made the go-ahead layup with 11 seconds left as the Houston Rockets held off Steph Curry in his return after being sidelined more than two months for a 117-116 victory over Golden State. Curry missed a long, straightaway 3-pointer as he finished with 29 points on 11-of-26 shooting. Durant finished with 31 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
— Chet Holmgren scored 21 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added as and the Oklahoma City Thunder had a season-high point total to rout the Utah Jazz 146-111.
— Cooper Flagg scored 45 points along with nine assists and eight rebounds as the Dallas Mavericks ended their longest home losing streak in 32 years at 14 games with a 134-128 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron James had 30 points and 15 assists for the Lakers, who were without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
— Kawhi Leonard scored 26 points as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Sacramento Kings 138-109. The Clippers moved into a tie for eighth place in the Western Conference with Portland with four games to play. The eighth-place team will have two shots to get into the playoffs through the play-in tournament.
— Donovan Mitchell scored 23 of his 38 points in the second half, while James Harden had 28 points and seven assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Indiana Pacers 117-108. The playoff-bound Cavaliers reduced their magic number for home-court advantage in the first round to one. Fourth-place Cleveland is four games ahead of Atlanta in the Eastern Conference with four to play. It hosts the Hawks on Wednesday night, then plays at Atlanta on Friday night.
— Desmond Bane scored 27 points as the Orlando Magic overcame a 15-point deficit in the second half in a 112-108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
— Nolan Traore hit five 3-pointers and finished with 23 points and seven assists as the Brooklyn Nets beat the Washington Wizards 121-115. The Wizards (17-61) have a two-game on the Nets (19-59) for the best draft lottery odds. Washington has lost six in a row and 22 of its past 23. Brooklyn won for just the second time in its past 14 games.
MLB
— Richie Palacios hit a two-run homer in a three-run 10th inning to give the Tampa Bay Rays a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Twins 4-1. Byron Buxton went 0-for-4, extending his hitless streak to 19 straight at-bats. Simeon Woods Richardson allowed one earned run in 6 2/3 innings for Minnesota. The Twins host the Detroit Tigers on Monday at 6:40 pm with Joe Ryan getting the start.
— Miami pinch-hitter Graham Pauley delivered a go-ahead, two-run double in a four-run eighth, lifting the Marlins to a 7-6 win over the New York Yankees on Sunday. The game started after a 3-hour, 35-minute rain delay.
— Brent Rooker capped a monster game with a walk-off three-run homer in the 10th, leading the Oakland Athletics to a 12-10 win over the Houston Astros. Rooker finished with two homers and a career-high six RBIs, while Tyler Soderstrom added a bases-loaded triple and three runs scored.
— Shohei Ohtani homered and delivered the go-ahead sacrifice fly as the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied from a five-run deficit to beat the Washington Nationals 8-6, completing a three-game sweep. Ohtani finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
— Mets pinch-hitter Luis Torrens drove in two runs with a double in the eighth, giving New York a 5-2 win over the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. The victory gave the Mets a three-game sweep in the series.
— Nolan Schanuel’s 11th-inning sacrifice fly lifted the Los Angeles Angels to an 8-7 walk-off win over the Seattle Mariners. The teams traded late runs, including a two-out rally by Seattle in the ninth to tie it at 6-6.
— CJ Kayfus and Gabriel Arias each drove in two runs as the Cleveland Guardians rallied to win 6-5 in Game 2, splitting a doubleheader with the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs took Game 1, 1-0, in a one-hitter, while Cleveland’s José Ramírez tied ateamclub record with his 1,619th game played.
— Ryan O’Hearn homered and drove in four runs, and Oneil Cruz added a two-run homer as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-2. Braxton Ashcraft struck out eight over six innings for the win, helping Pittsburgh sweep the three-game series and extend their winning streak to five.
— Ketel Marte’s two-out double won the game in the 10th inning as the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Atlanta Braves 6-5, splitting their four-game series.
— Iván Herrera’s two-run single capped a four-run fifth inning as the St. Louis Cardinals salvaged the finale of a three-game series with a 5-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers.
— William Contreras drove in two runs and Kyle Harrison struck out six over 5 1/3 innings as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Kansas City Royals 8-5.
— Elly De La Cruz singled home the winning run in the eighth as the Cincinnati Reds held off the Texas Rangers 2-1 to complete a three-game series sweep. Texas, limited to one run in the final 20 innings of the series, dropped their fourth straight game.
— Jackson Merrill’s go-ahead homer in the eighth lifted the San Diego Padres to an 8-6 comeback win over the Boston Red Sox. Manny Machado added a three-run shot, while Xander Bogaerts had three hits.
— Davis Martin struck out six over six innings as the Chicago White Sox shutout the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0, completing their first three-game sweep of Toronto in a decade
— Mickey Moniak hit two home runs and T.J. Rumfield added a two-run shot as the Colorado Rockies beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1.
NFL
— Jacksonville Jaguars edge rusher Travon Walker has agreed to a four-year, $110 million contract extension, including $50 million fully guaranteed. The 2022 No. 1 overall pick has 27 ½ sacks and 200 tackles over four seasons. The extension keeps Walker with the Jaguars through the 2030 season
— Two-time All-Pro cornerback and 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore has announced his retirement. Gilmore, 35, played 13 seasons with six teams, including the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, and Carolina Panthers, earning five Pro Bowl selections and 32 career interceptions. He won a Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2018 and led the league in interceptions in 2019. He last played for the Minnesota Vikings during the 2024 season.
NHL
— The Buffalo Sabres are back in the NHL playoffs, ending the longest postseason drought in league history at 14 years. The Sabres clinched a berth Saturday when the New York Rangers beat Detroit. Buffalo is 46-23-8 on the season.