MONDAY SPORTS, DECMEBER 22, 2025
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell Kernels boys basketball defeated Rapid City Central on Saturday 53-42 to improved to 2-1 on the season. Colton Smith finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Owen Raml added a game-high 19 points. Mitchell takes on Jonesboro (Ga.) on Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 7 pm as part of the Hoop City Classic.
— Mitchell Kernels girls basketball lost to Rapid City Central on Saturday 49-45 to fall to 1-2 on the season. The Kernels had possession with 20 seconds remaining and a chance to tie the game, but turned the ball over. Addie Siemsen led Mitchell with 19 points, while CeCe Morgan had 11 points and six rebounds. Mitchell faces Lyman on Monday, Dec. 29 at 4 pm as part of the Hoop City Classic.
— Mitchell Kernels gymnastics finished second overall as the Jill McCormick Invitational at the Mitchell high school gym on Saturday with 143.075 team points, nearly 4.5 points behind first place Harrisburg. Kyanna Gropper placed second in the all-around (36.9 points), while finishing first in the vault and third in the uneven bars and beam. Olivia Prunty was fourth in the all-around (36.275), while finishing second on bars. The Kernels will host the four Sioux Falls public schools and Watertown for a meet on Jan. 3 at 11:30 am.
— Mitchell Kernels boys wrestling finished third overall on Saturday at Sioux Falls Washington with four bracket winners; Blaze Sevigny (106), Micah Bennett (113), Noah Bennett (132) and Rocky Clark (285). Mitchell hosts Aberdeen Central for a dual on Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 2:30 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels girls wrestling competed at a tournament in Canton on Saturday with Frankie Kranz finishing fourth at 115 points. Danny Borja took home fifth at 125 pounds, while Taylor DeJong was also fifth at 155 pounds. Mitchell hosts Aberdeen Central for a dual on Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 1:30 pm.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball snapped a five-game losing streak on Saturday with a 65-59 win at Valley City State. The Tigers ended the game on a 17-4 run. Easton Neuendorf led four Tigers in double figures with a game-high 17 points and six assists. DWU, 6-8 on the season, will be at Bismarck State on Monday, Dec. 29 at 6 pm.
— No. 10 Dakota Wesleyan women’s basketball knocked off No. 3 Campbellsville (Kent.) on Friday, 83-55 in Hawaii. Avery Broughton finished with a career-high 25 points and 16 rebounds as the Tigers held Campbellsville to 35% shooting. DWU, 9-4 on the season, hosts Northwestern on Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 5 pm at the Corn Palace as part of the Hoop City Classic.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State women’s basketball ended its non-conference schedule with a 70-51 home loss to No. 2 Texas on Sunday. Brooklyn Meyer led all players with 20 points as the Jacks limited held to just 35% shooting from the field and 4-of-19 from three. SDSU, 10-4 on the season, starts Summit League play vs. St. Thomas on Thursday, Jan. 1 at 2 pm.
— South Dakota State men’s basketball lost at Milwaukee on Friday 88-87 to fall to 7-7 on the season. Jadon Jackson led the Jackrabbits with 23 points, while Kalen Garry and Damon Wilkinson added 18 points each. SDSU wraps up its non-conference schedule at No. 1 Arizona on Monday at 8 pm CST.
— No. 8 South Dakota State wrestling improved to 3-0 in duals this season with a 45-3 home win on Sunday over Campbell. SDSU faces Arizona state on Friday, Jan. 2 at 6 pm at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD men’s basketball lost on Saturday at Kansas State 106-76. Issac Bruns had 19 points, while Cameron Fens added 17 points and six rebounds. USD, 7-7 on the season, host Mt. Marty on Sunday, Dec. 28 at 1 pm.
— USD women’s basketball hosts the College of St. Mary (Neb.) on Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 2 pm before starting Summit League play on Jan. 3 at Kansas City.
NFL
— The Minnesota Vikings won their third straight, beating the New York Giants 16–13 Sunday. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy left before halftime with a right hand injury. Justin Jefferson caught six passes for 85 yards. The loss was the Giants’ ninth in a row, dropping them to 2–13. The Vikings host Detroit on Thursday, Christmas Day, at 3:30 pm on Netflix.
— The Chicago Bears pulled off a stunning comeback, rallying past Green Bay 22–16 in overtime on Saturday night. Caleb Williams hit DJ Moore for a 46-yard touchdown to win it, after the Bears erased a 10-point deficit in the final two minutes. Chicago recovered an onside kick, tied it late, then capitalized on a Packers fumble in overtime. The win puts the Bears a game and a half up in the NFC North and closer to their first playoff berth since 2020.
— The Philadelphia Eagles clinched back-to-back NFC East titles for the first time in 20 years, beating Washington 29–18 on Saturday night. Jalen Hurts threw two touchdown passes, while Saquon Barkley rushed for 132 yards and a score.
— Drake Maye guided New England to a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, rallying his team from an 11-point deficit to a 28-24 victory over Baltimore that clinched a postseason spot for the Patriots and dealt a devastating blow to the Ravens’ playoff hopes. Down 24-13 in the fourth quarter, Maye answered with a 37-yard touchdown to Kyle Williams, and a 2-point conversion made it a three-point game with 9:01 to play. Then Rhamondre Stevenson scored on a 21-yard run with 2:07 to play. The Ravens lost Lamar Jackson to a back injury in the second quarter.
— The Pittsburgh Steelers have pushed the Detroit Lions to the brink of elimination from the playoffs thanks to a wild finish. Pittsburgh held on for a 29-24 win when Jared Goff’s touchdown on the final play was negated by an offensive pass-interference penalty on Amon-Ra St. Brown. Goff threw a fourth-down pass to St. Brown just short of the goal line. The receiver pushed off cornerback Jalen Ramsey to get free, and before the Steelers could bring St. Brown to the ground, he threw the quarterback a lateral to set up an apparent score.
— Trevor Lawrence threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score, leading the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 34-20 win over the Denver Broncos. The Jaguars snapped the Broncos’ 11-game winning streak and handed them their first home loss since October 2024. The Jaguars have won six straight games.
— Justin Herbert threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score as the Los Angeles Chargers closed in on a playoff spot with a 34-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
— Bryce Young threw two touchdown passes as the Carolina Panthers defeated Tampa Bay 23–20, taking sole possession of first place in the NFC South. Carolina is now 8–7 and controls its playoff destiny with two games left.
— James Cook rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns as the Buffalo Bills defeated the Cleveland Browns 23–20. The Bills are now 11–4.
— The Tennessee Titans snapped an 11-game home losing streak, beating the Kansas City Chiefs 26–9 . Kansas City lost quarterback Gardner Minshew to a knee injury and lost its fourth straight game.
NBA
— Anthony Edwards scored 24 points despite a poor night shooting as the Minnesota Timberwolves rode timely 3-pointers from Donte DiVincenzo and Terrence Shannon Jr. to a 103-100 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Two days after defeating defending champion Oklahoma City in its third loss of the season, Edwards went 7 for 24 from the field and 2 for 11 from 3-point range, leading six Wolves in double figures. DiVincenzo made 4 of 8 3-point attempts for 18 points, and Rudy Gobert had 11 points and 18 rebounds, becoming the 45th NBA player with 10,000 rebounds.
— Matas Buzelis scored 28 points to lead nine Chicago players in double figures s the Bulls outlasted the Atlanta Hawks 152-150 on Sunday in the highest-scoring game in the NBA this season. Chicago set a franchise record for points in a first half with 83. Jalen Johnson led Atlanta with 36 points, and Trae Young had a season-high 35.
— Jalen Brunson scored a season-high 47 points as the New York Knicks beat the Miami Heat 132-125.
— Dennis Schroder made a 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds remaining in overtime, lifting the Sacramento Kings to a 125-124 victory over the Houston Rockets. Schroder finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists off the bench.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS – FIRST ROUND
No. 5 Oregon 51, James Madison 34
No. 6 Ole Miss 41, No. 11 Tulane 11
No. 10 Miami 10, No. 7 Texas A&M 3
No. 9 Alabama 34, No. 8 Oklahoma 24
FCS PLAYOFFS – SEMIFINALS
Montana State 48, Montana 23
Illinois State 30, Villanova 14
COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL GAMES
Washington State vs. Utah State, Monday at 1 pm, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Louisville vs. Toledo, Tuesday at 1 pm, Boca Raton Bowl
Western Kentucky vs. Southern Miss, Tuesday at 4:30 pm, New Orleans Bowl
UNLV vs. Ohio, Tuesday at 8 pm, Frisco Bowl
Hawaii vs. California, Wednesday at 7 pm, Hawaii Bowl
NBA – CHRISTMAS DAY – THURSDAY
New York Knicks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 11 am on ABC/ESPN
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antionio Spurs, 1:30 pm on ABC/ESPN
Golden State Warriors vs. Dallas Mavericks, 4 pm on ABC/ESPN
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockers, 7 pm on ABC/ESPN
Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, 9:30 pm on ABC/ESPN