THURSDAY SPORTS, FEBRUARY 12, 2026
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell Kernels basketball take on Sioux Falls Washington on Tuesday. The boys will be in Sioux Falls, while the Kernel girls will be at home vs. the No. 3 ranked Warriors. Coverage of the girls game starts at 6 pm with the KORNer Booth pregame show with tip-off at 7 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels gymnastics hosts the Class A and AA state gymnastics meet on Friday at Mitchell High School.
— Mitchell Kernels boys wrestling will compete at the Region 3A qualifying tournament on Saturday, February 21 at Mitchell high school.
— Mitchell Marlins boys hockey travels to Fort Pierre on Friday, while the girls return home February 21st and 22nd to host Sioux Center, Iowa, and Brookings.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— No. 9 Dakota Wesleyan women’s basketball delivered its most explosive offensive performance in a decade Wednesday night, rolling past Waldorf 115-46. The Tigers extended their winning streak to 15 games, improving to 21-4 overall and 17-2 in the GPAC. DWU took control early, jumping out to an 11-0 lead and building a 64-17 advantage by halftime. The Tigers shot better than 74 percent in the first half and finished the night at 64 percent from the field. Taliyah Hayes led DWU with 19 points, while Emma Yost added 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting. Dakota Wesleyan returns to action on Saturday with a 2 p.m. road game at Mount Marty.
— Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball had to fend off a second-half comeback Wednesday night, holding on for a 94-87 road win over Waldorf. The Tigers improved to 14-11 overall and 9-8 in the GPAC. DWU built a 16-point lead early in the second half at 63-47, but Waldorf answered with a 19-5 run to cut the deficit to two. The Warriors later pulled within 82-80 before the Tigers closed the game on a 10-3 surge to secure the victory. Dakota Wesleyan shot an efficient 56% from the field, hit 12 of 23 from three-point range and went 20-for-24 at the free-throw line. Oliver Vincent led five Tigers in double figures with 20 points. Easton Neuendorf added 19 points and seven assists, while Steele Morgan had a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. DWU will be at Mt. Marty on Sunday at 3:45 pm.
— Dakota Wesleyan sophomore Jaycee Tebay has been named the GPAC softball player of the week after helping the Tigers sweep their season-opening tournament. The Dell Rapids native went 7-for-11 over four games, hitting two home runs and driving in eight runs, including a grand slam in a win over Mount Mercy. The Tigers hit .361 as a team with five homers during the opening weekend. Up next, Dakota Wesleyan travels to Aberdeen to take on Northern State for a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 pm.
— Dakota Wesleyan baseball, 2-2 on the season, travel to Joplin, Missouri, this weekend as they take on Clark (Iowa) on Saturday at Noon.
— Dakota Wesleyan men’s wrestling gets ready for the GPAC Championships on Friday, Feb. 20 and Saturday, Feb. 21 in Orange City, Iowa.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State softball swept a doubleheader on Wednesday at Abilene Christian, 12-3 in six innings and 8-5. SDSU improves to 6-2 on the season. The Jacks have five games this weekend in Stephenville, Texas, starting on Friday vs. Stephen F. Austin at 10 am and Tarleton State at 3 pm.
— South Dakota State women’s basketball host North Dakota on Thursday at 7 pm.
— South Dakota State men’s basketball is at Denver on Thursday at 8 pm CST
— South Dakota State wrestling hosts the Jackrabbit Open in Brookings on Sunday at 11 am.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD men’s basketball lost a double-digits halftime lead in losing at home on Wednesday night to North Dakota 72-71. After the Coyotes held a 37-26 halftime lead, UND went on a 16-4 run over the first six minutes of the second half. Cameron Fens led USD with 22 points and 12 rebounds on 9-of-13 shooting. The Coyotes shot just 4-of-25 from three. USD will be at Denver next Thursday, February 19 at 8 pm.
— USD women’s basketball hosts Kansas City on Thursday at 7 pm.
— USD softball travels to Phoenix for five games starting on Friday against Northern Colorado and Sacramento State.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
— South Dakota high school football teams will face some out-of-state competition this fall. The South Dakota High School Activities Association announced on Wednesday five Class 11AAA non-conference matchups against Omaha-area schools as part of a scheduling partnership with Nebraska. Brandon Valley travels to Bellevue West on August 28, and Sioux Falls Washington plays at Millard North September 18. Three South Dakota schools will host; Sioux Falls Lincoln faces Omaha Central on September 25, Sioux Falls Jefferson meets Omaha Westview on October 2, and Harrisburg takes on Omaha North on October 9. The games are part of a two-year cycle, with home sites flipped next season. The rest of the statewide football schedule will be released later.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
— The Big 12 Conference will play its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments on a high-tech glass floor embedded with LED technology that will allow the conference to feature data-driven graphics, advertising and even games for fans during timeouts. The floors have been used for events at the 2024 NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis and in Europe, but ASB GlassFloor and the Big 12 said Wednesday that the March tournaments in Kansas City, will be the first time that official competitions in the United States will be played on one. The courts have an aluminum and steel spring-action design that allows them to mimic the flexibility of a hardwood floor. The LED panels have a ceramic coating with dots etched into the glass for grip and a consistent surface without “dead spots” or other quirks that can occur with natural wood.
SPORTS BETTING
— FanDuel Sportsbook says it will stop accepting credit card deposits starting March 2, following a similar move by DraftKings last year. The company says the change comes after reviewing payment options and is aimed at improving the deposit experience, noting many bettors already avoid credit cards because of added fees. Other major sportsbooks, including BetMGM and Caesars, still allow credit card deposits.
NASCAR
— Kyle Busch has won the pole for the Daytona 500 and has another shot at the win that has eluded him his entire career. Busch enters the race 0 for 20 in the Daytona 500. He also brings a 93-race overall losing streak into the weekend. Chase Briscoe qualified second. The final starting order is not set yet. Drivers settle it after two qualifying races on Thursday night.
— Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson will remain with Hendrick Motorsports for years to come. The team announced the 33-year-old has signed a five-year contract extension that keeps him under contract through 2031. Since joining the No. 5 team in 2021, Larson has won two championships including 26 wins with Hendrick.
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL – THURSDAY
Wessington Springs vs. Hitchcock-Tulare (DH)
Avon vs. Tripp-Delmont/Armour (DH)
No. 4 Freeman vs. Corsica-Stickney (Boys)
Kimball/White Lake vs. Burke (Boys)
AA BASKETBALL – THURSDAY
Aberdeen Central vs. No. 4 Huron (Boys)
Huron vs. Aberdeen Central (Girls)
NBA
— The NBA has handed down suspensions following a fight during Monday’s game between the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets. Pistons center Isaiah Stewart received the toughest penalty, a seven-game suspension, with the league citing his history of unsportsmanlike conduct and for leaving the bench to join the altercation. Hornets forwards Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabaté were each suspended four games for fighting and escalating the incident, while Pistons center Jalen Duren was suspended two games for initiating the confrontation.
— The NBA has fined Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye and Timberwolves big man Naz Reid $35,000 apiece for their roles in a jersey-grabbing tussle. Both players were given technical fouls and ejected just second into the fourth quarter on Monday after Gueye pushed Reid from behind, drawing a foul. Reid approached Gueye, the players grabbed each other’s jerseys and struggled before being separated by officials, coaches and teammates.
— Julius Randle had 41 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat Portland 133-109. McDaniels added 21 points for the Timberwolves, playing their final game before the All-Star break. Jrue Holiday scored 23 points for the Trail Blazers, who trailed by 28 points and committed 25 turnovers. Anthony Edwards was listed as questionable going into the game because of an illness but started and finished with 14 points. The Timberwolves going into the All-Star break with a 34-22 record, fifth place in the Western Conference, just 1 ½ games out of third.
— De’Aaron Fox scored 27 points and Victor Wembanyama added 26 to send the San Antonio Spurs into the All-Star break on a six-game winning streak after beating the Golden State Warriors 126-113. Draymond Green had 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists to lead the Warriors.
— Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray warmed up for their appearances in the NBA’s All-Star festivities by teaming up to help the Denver Nuggets hold off the Memphis Grizzlies 122-116. Jokic had the 184th triple-double of his career with 26 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists. Murray added 22 points and was 4 for 4 from the foul line in the final 11 seconds.
— Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points and his three-point play with two seconds remaining lifted the Los Angeles Clippers to a 105-102 victory over the Houston Rockets. Leonard, who had 12 rebounds, scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to extend his career-best streak of 20-point games to 33.
— Cleveland’s Sam Merrill scored a career-high 32, while Donovan Mitchell added 30 as the Cavaliers rolled to a 138-113 victory over the Washington Wizards in James Harden’s first home game. Harden had 13 points and 11 assists for his second double-double in three games since being traded by the LA Clippers to the Cavaliers on Feb. 4.
— Jose Alvarado scored a season-high 26 points and Mikal Bridges added 22 points as the New York Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 138-89. Alvarado, acquired last week from New Orleans, shot 8 for 13 from 3-point range and finished with five steals. Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points and 11 rebounds.
— Payton Pritchard scored 26 points as the Boston Celtics rolled past the Chicago Bulls 124-105. Jaylen Brown added 24 points, while Nikola Vucevic finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics against his old team, who have won six of their last seven games.
— Brandon Miller had 31 points and nine rebounds, while LaMelo Ball made seven 3s and scored 24 points as Charlotte held on to beat the Atlanta Hawks 110-107. Kon Knueppel added 18 points on four 3s, and Miller hit five 3s as the Hornets finished 19 of 51 from beyond the arc for their 10th win in 11 games.
— Jalen Williams scored 28 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder cruised to a 136-109 victory over the Phoenix Suns. The Thunder shot 58% from the field and got 74 points off the bench.
— Cade Cunningham scored 28 points as the Detroit Pistons beat the Toronto Raptors 113-95. Detroit goes into the All-Star break winning six of seven games and leads the Eastern Conference with a 40-13 record.
— Jaren Jackson Jr scored 23 points in his home debut to lead the Utah Jazz to a 121-93 victory over the Sacramento Kings. Utah shot 54% from the field and made 15 3-pointers. Sacramento has now lost 14 games in a row.