MONDAY SPORTS, JANUARY 12, 2025
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell Kernels boys basketball defeated Yankton on Friday 69-53. Mitchell shot 56% from the field, led by Colton Smith’s 23 points and seven rebounds. Owen Raml added 21 points, while Collin Weier was the Culver’s Player of the Game with 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Mitchell will be at No. 3 SF Roosevelt on Tuesday at 7 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels girls basketball defeated Yankton on Friday 55-36. Addie Siemsen led the Kernels with 22 points, while Nia Talley and Londyn Hajek both had season-highs with 10 points apiece. The Kernels host SF Roosevelt on Tuesday at 7 pm. The pregame on KORN News Radio starts at 6:45 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels gymnastics placed second at the Brookings Invitational on Saturday. Harrisburg claimed the team title with a season-best 152 points, while Mitchell scored 144.85, their second-best team score this season. Watertown and Brookings finished third and fourth. Mitchell’s Kyanna Gropper placed third all-around with a 37.125, followed by teammate Olivia Prunty in fourth at 36.8. Abby Hohn led Mitchell on vault with a 9.35, placing second for the Kernels. Mitchell travels to the Huron Invitational on Friday at 5:30 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels girls wrestling is back on the mats at the Harrisburg Invitational on Friday, then both the Mitchell boys and girls will host the Jerry Opbroek Invitational at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17, at the high school gym.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— The 10th-ranked Dakota Wesleyan women ran their winning streak to seven with a 79–50 victory over Mount Marty on Saturday at the Corn Palace. Emma Yost led the Tigers with 17 points, while Rylee Rosenquist added 14. Avery Broughton had a double-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and a career-high six blocks, tying a DWU school record. The Tigers improve to 13-4 on the season and 9-2 in the GPAC. They host Waldorf on Wednesday at 5 pm.
— Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball held off Mount Marty for an 83–76 win on Saturday at the Corn Palace. Randy Rosenquist Jr. led all scorers with 24 points, while Steele Morgan added 16 for the Tigers. Easton Neuendorf chipped in 19 points, along with seven assists and six rebounds. Mt. Marty cut it to three late, but back-to-back buckets from Morgan and Rosenquist, plus a four-point play by Tyson Stevenson, sealed the win. The Tigers host Waldorf on Wednesday at 6:45 pm.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State women’s basketball set a new school record by making 19 three-pointers in a 103–76 win over Oral Roberts on Saturday in Brookings. Brooklyn Meyer led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, adding seven rebounds. Katie Vasecka and Emilee Fox each scored 17 points, with Vasecka making five threes and handing out seven assists, while Fox added six assists. Eight different Jackrabbits hit at least one three as SDSU jumped out to a 32–12 first-quarter lead. The Jacks move to 13-4 overall and 3-0 in Summit League play. They return home on Thursday night to host Denver at 7 pm.
— South Dakota State wrestling finished second at the NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, suffering their first dual loss of the season in the finals against Northern Iowa, 20-14. The Jacks picked up a 45-3 win over Campbell and a 28-10 victory over Central Michigan. SDSU, 8-1 on the season, will be at Utah Valley on Friday night at 8 pm CST.
— South Dakota State men’s basketball, 9-9 on the season and 2-1 in the Summit League, will be at North Dakota State on Wednesday at 7 pm.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD women’s basketball held the lead from start to finish in a 72-65 win over St. Thomas on Saturday afternoon in St. Paul. Angelina Robles and Molly Joyce led the way with 21 points each. The win improves USD’s record to 12-5 overall and 2-1 in Summit League play. The Coyotes will host North Dakota on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
— USD men’s basketball picked up their first Summit League win on Saturday night at home, defeating Denver 82-72. Cameron Fens finished with a career-high 23 points and 12 rebounds. Fens was perfect in the second half, scoring 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting. Isaac Bruns also scored 20 points, including a buzzer-beater at halftime to tie the game at 37. USD improves to 9-9 overall and 1-2 in Summit League play. They return home on Thursday to face Kansas City at 7 p.m.
HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL
— Harrisburg senior Gabi Zachariasen has been named the 2025 Gatorade South Dakota Volleyball Player of the Year. The 6-foot outside hitter led the Tigers to a 35-and-2 record and a fourth straight Class AA state title, finishing with 523 kills, 215 digs, and 81 aces. Zachariasen becomes just the second three-time Gatorade winner in state history.
NBA
— Anthony Edwards scored 23 points and made a key go-ahead floater with 16 seconds left as the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied from a 19-point deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 104-103 Sunday night at Target Center. Donte DiVincenzo added 19 points, and Naz Reid posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama led all scorers with 29 points.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
— No. 1 ranked Indiana rolled into the national championship game after crushing No. 5 seed Oregon 56-22 in the Peach Bowl on Friday night in Atlanta. Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza threw five touchdown passes while the Hoosiers’ defense scored and forced three first-half turnovers as Indiana jumped to a 35-7 halftime lead. The undefeated Hoosiers are now 15-and-0 and will face No. 10 Miami in the National Title game on Monday, January 19th in Miami.
— The NCAA has denied Mississippi’s request to extend the eligibility of Trinidad Chambliss. The Rebels star quarterback finished his fifth year of college football in a 31-27 loss to Miami in the College Football Playoff semifinals on Thursday night. He had planned to return to Ole Miss for one more year. Ole Miss will appeal the decision. Chambliss took a redshirt his first season at Ferris State in 2021-22 and was held out his second season for medical reasons. He played two more seasons at the Division II school, and then transferred to Ole Miss.
MLB
— All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman has agreed to a five-year, $175 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. The deal includes a no-trade clause, allowing Bregman to block trades without his consent. The 31-year-old spent last season with the Boston Red Sox after previously playing nine years with the Houston Astros, winning two World Series titles. Last year, he hit .273 with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs in 114 games, missing time due to injury,
— Free agent outfielder Max Kepler has been suspended for 80 games following a positive test for a banned performance-enhancing substance in violation of Major League Baseball’s drug program. An 11-year major league veteran, Kepler spent last season with the Philadelphia Phillies. He played his first 10 seasons with the Minnesota Twins.
GOLF
— Brooks Koepka (KEP-KA) is taking the first step toward possibly rejoining the PGA Tour. The AP has confirmed that Koepka has applied for reinstatement. This comes just two weeks after LIV Golf announced the five-time major champion was leaving the Saudi-funded league with one year remaining on his contract. The next step belongs to the PGA Tour. Among the unknowns is what kind of discipline Koepka would face for defecting from the PGA Tour in June 2022.
AA GIRLS BASKETBALL – SATURDAY
No. 3 SF Washington 55, Pierre 22
No. 4 Aberdeen Central 60, SF Jefferson 38
West Fargo, N.D. 70, No. 5 Tea Area 41
Harrisburg 49, Huron 35
Rapid City Central 46, SF Roosevelt 43
Rapid City Stevens 74, SF Lincoln 17
AA BOYS BASKETBALL – SATURDAY
No. 1 SF Lincoln 89, Rapid City Stevens 45
No. 5 Harrisburg 72, No. 2 Huron 69
No. 3 SF Roosevelt 78, Rapid City Central 36
SF Washington 77, Pierre 57
Tea Area 54, Sioux Center, Iowa 52
NFL
— Brock Purdy led the San Francisco 49ers to a 23-19 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in Philadelphia. Purdy threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns, including a go-ahead 6-yard score to Christian McCaffrey with 2:54 remaining.
— Josh Allen carried the Buffalo Bills to a 27-24 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, marking the team’s first road playoff win in 33 years. Allen completed 28 of 35 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown, while adding two rushing scores. Allen scored the game winning touchdown from one yard out with 1:04 remaining.
— Drake Maye threw a touchdown pass to Hunter Henry in the fourth quarter as New England’s defense roughed up QB Justin Herbert as the Patriots beat the Los Angeles Chargers 16-3 on Sunday night. Andy Borregales kicked three field goals for the Patriots, who won a playoff game for the first time since their Super Bowl victory to cap the 2018 season. They’ll host the winner of Monday night’s game between Pittsburgh and Houston in the divisional round. New England held the Chargers to 207 yards of offense and sacked Herbert six times.
— Caleb Williams threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore with under two minutes remaining, completing a comeback that gave the Chicago Bears to a 31-27 wild-card victory over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night. The Bears trailed by 18 points at halftime and 21-6 entering the fourth quarter but outscored Green Bay 25-6 in the final quarter for their first playoff win in 15 years. Williams finished with 361 yards passing and two late touchdown throws. Rookie TE Colston Loveland had a career-high 137 receiving yards.
— Matthew Stafford threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson with just 38 seconds left to lead the Los Angeles Rams to a 34-31 wild-card victory over the Carolina Panthers on Saturday. Stafford finished with 304 yards passing, three touchdowns, and one interception, while Puka Nacua caught 10 passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns. The Panthers fought back from an early 14-0 deficit to take a 31-27 lead in the fourth quarter, with Bryce Young throwing for 264 yards and two touchdowns.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Houston Texans, Monday at 7:15 pm, ESPN/ABC
NFL DIVISIONAL ROUND
Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills – Saturday
Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers – Saturday
Chicago Bears vs. Los Angeles Rams – Sunday
New England Patriots vs. Houston/Pittsburgh – Sunday
COLLEGE BASKETBALL – SATURDAY
No. 1 Arizona 86, TCU 73
Wisconsin 91, No. 2 Michigan – Wolverines were 14-0
No. 3 Iowa State 83, Oklahoma State 71
No. 4 UConn 72, DePaul 60
No. 5 Purdue 93, Penn State 85
No. 6 Duke 82, No. 24 SMU 75
No. 10 Nebraska 83, Indiana 77 – Huskers improve to 16-0
No. 11 Vanderbilt 84, LSU 73 – Vanderbilt improves to 16-0
Texas 92, No. 13 Alabama 88
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL – MONDAY
Garretson vs. Mt. Vernon/Plankinton (DH)
Avon vs. Gregory (girls)
Colman-Egan vs. Bridgewater-Emery (boys)
🏀 43rd Annual Hanson Girls Classic – Corn Palace, Saturday, January 17
10:00 AM Hanson vs. Woodbury Central (IA)
11:30 AM No. 8B Sanborn Central/Woonsocket vs. Elk Point-Jefferson
1:00 PM No. 10B Corsica-Stickney vs. No. 6B Harding County – Q107.3
2:30 PM No. 2B Lyman vs. No. 10A Mobridge-Pollock
4:00 PM St. Thomas More vs. No. 5A Dakota Valley
5:30 PM No. 7A Wagner vs. No. 3A Hamlin – Q107.3
7:00 PM No. 3B Parkston vs. No. 5B Ethan – Q107.3
8:30 PM No. 1A Mahpíya Lúta vs. No. 2A Lennox