THURSDAY SPORTS, JANUARY 22, 2025
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell Kernels basketball host Tea Area for a doubleheader on Thursday with the girls game starting at 6 pm, followed by the boys at 7:30. The Mitchell girls are 6-3 on the season and have won five games in a row, coming off a 50-20 victory on Friday at Brookings. The Kernels boys are 5-3 on the season and currently the No. 6 seed in AA, coming off a 53-39 win at Brookings.
— Mitchell Kernels gymnastics competes at the Lolly Forseth Invitational on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Sioux Falls Lincoln.
— Mitchell Kernels wrestling travels to Brandon on Friday for a triangular against Watertown and Brandon Valley starting at 5 pm.
DAKOTA WESLEYA
— Dakota Wesleyan basketball will be at Morningside on Thursday for a doubleheader starting at 6 pm. The DWU women have won nine games in a row after knocking off No. 10 Concordia on Sunday 78-69. The Tigers are 11-2 in the GPAC, one game behind first place Dordt. The DWU men have won three in a row to improve to 11-9 on the season. The Tigers are 6-6 in the GPAC, in a four-way tie for fifth place and just one game back of second place.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State women’s basketball won at North Dakota 99-47 on Wednesday night, outscoring UND 57-23 over the second and third quarters. Brooklyn Meyer finished with 31 points and 12 rebounds and 11-of-17 shooting. Madison Mathiowetz scored 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go with five rebounds. The Jacks shot 61% for the game and 64% from the 3-point line with seven triples. SDSU also grabbed 40 rebounds to UND’s 17. The Jacks will be at Kansas City on Saturday at 2 pm.
— South Dakota State men’s basketball is at St. Thomas on Thursday at 8 pm. The Jacks are 10-10 on the season and 3-2 in the Summit League. St, Thomas is currently in second place in the conference with a 4-1 record.
— South Dakota State wrestling host Cal Baptist for a dual on Friday at 6 pm. The Jackrabbits are coming off a 24-18 loss at Wyoming on Sunday to fall to 9-2 on the season.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD men’s basketball picked up a 68-64 road win at Omaha on Wednesday night. Jordan Crawford finished with a career-high 27 points and 10-of-16 shooting with five 3-pointers. USD improves to 11-10 on the season and picked up their first road win of the year, now 1-8 on the road. The Coyotes host St. Thomas on Saturday afternoon at 1 pm.
— USD women’s basketball will be at Omaha on Thursday at 6:30 pm.
HIGH SCHOOL
— The South Dakota High School Activities Association board approved six of nine school classification appeals during its meeting in Pierre on Wednesday. Appeals were granted for Parkston, Eureka–Edmunds Central, Sisseton, Flandreau Indian, Hamlin and DeSmet, allowing those schools to adjust enrollments or football classifications. Appeals from Mount Vernon–Plankinton, Douglas and Sioux Falls Lutheran were denied. The board later approved updated enrollment numbers that will set sports and fine arts classifications for the next two years.
🏀 44th Annual Boys Hanson Classic – Saturday
11 am: Hanson vs. White River
12:30 pm: Sioux Valley vs. Dakota Valley
2 pm: No. 10B Parkston vs. Lyman
3:30 pm: No. 5B Wessington Springs vs. No. 7B Freeman – Q107.3 and Q107Radio.com
5 pm: No. 1B Viborg-Hurley vs. No. 6A Hamlin
6:30 pm: No. 4A St. Thomas More vs. No. 9A Lennox
8 pm: No. 1A West Central vs. No. 3A Clark/Willow Lake
MLB
— The New York Mets have acquired ace pitcher Freddy Peralta and right-hander Tobias Myers from Milwaukee in a trade that sent two top prospects to the Brewers: pitcher Brandon Sproat and minor league infielder/outfielder Jett Williams. Peralta gives the Mets a frontline starter after their rotation faltered in the second half of last season. Peralta went 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA last year, when he led the National League in wins and finished fifth in Cy Young Award voting. He also earned his second All-Star selection. The 29-year-old right-hander is set to make $8 million this year and can become a free agent after the season.
— Cody Bellinger has agreed to stay with the New York Yankees on a five-year, $162 million contract. The deal includes a $20 million signing bonus and a no-trade clause. Bellinger can opt out after the 2027 or 2028 seasons. Acquired from the Chicago Cubs in 2024, Bellinger hit .272 with 29 homers last year. He played 149 games, mostly in the outfield. The two-time All-Star and former MVP has a .261 average over eight seasons with the Dodgers, Cubs, and Yankees.
— ABC will broadcast three regular-season MLB games this year, including a June 14 matchup between the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs, the Yankees-Red Sox on June 28, and a Cubs-Cardinals game on August 16. These broadcasts are part of ESPN’s new three-year agreement with Major League Baseball.
NFL
— The Minnesota Vikings have extended defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ contract, ensuring he’ll return for the 2026 season unless hired as a head coach. Since taking over in 2023, Flores has transformed the Vikings’ defense, cutting points allowed to an NFL-best 19 per game and ranking third overall in defense by yards allowed in 2025.
— Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold says he’s feeling “really good” after playing through an oblique injury in Seattle’s 41-6 playoff win over the 49ers on Saturday. Darnold completed 12 of 17 passes before leaving in the fourth quarter and is focusing on rehab ahead of Sunday’s NFC Championship game against the Rams. Coach Mike Macdonald says Darnold won’t practice fully this week but is progressing well.
— Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula felt his team hit what he called “the proverbial playoff wall” in leading to his decision to fire head coach Sean McDermott this week. Speaking at a season-ending news conference, Pegula said he made up his mind immediately following a 33-30 overtime loss to Denver on Saturday.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
— Former University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore is returning to court for the first time since he was charged in December with home invasion and two other crimes. Thursday’s hearing is an opportunity for the judge to get an update on the case. Moore was fired for having a relationship with a woman who was a staff member. Authorities say Moore subsequently blamed her for disclosing the affair and threatened to kill himself. He’s pleaded not guilty.
WNBA
— The WNBA will begin its season on May 8, assuming the league and the players’ union can come to an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. Teams will play 44 games over a five-month period with a 17-day break for the FIBA World Cup in early September. The WNBA will go on break from Aug. 31-Sept. 16 for the World Cup, which will be played in Berlin this year.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL – WEDNESDAY
No. 1 Arizona 77, Cincinnati 51
No. 7 Nebraska 76, Washington 66 – Huskers improve to 19-0 overall and 8-0 in the Big Ten.
No. 9 Gonzaga 84, Pepperdine 60
No. 11 Illinois 89, Maryland 70
No. 22 North Carolina 91, Notre Dame 69
NBA
— The New York Knicks broke a four-game losing streak, crushing the Brooklyn Nets 120-66 in the most lopsided victory in franchise history. Jalen Brunson scored 20 points and Landry Shamet was 6 for 6 on 3-pointers and added 18 for the Knicks, who led by as much as 59 points before the 54-point victory that surpassed the previous largest victory margin of 48 points.
— Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 40 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 122-102. Gilgeous-Alexander shot 16 of 19 from the floor. This marked just the second time in the last 45 seasons that a player had at least 40 points and 10 assists in a game while shooting 80% or better. Coincidentally, the other instance was just a day earlier, when Toronto’s Immanuel Quickley had 40 points and 10 assists while shooting 11 of 13 in the Raptors win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.
— Jaylen Brown had 30 points and 10 rebounds as the Boston Celtics opened up a 23-point first-half lead before coasting to a 119-104 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
— Jalen Duran scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as the Detroit Pistons never trailed while cruising to their fourth straight victory, 112-104 over the New Orleans Pelicans.
— Donovan Mitchell scored 24 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers jumped out to 21-point first-quarter lead and held on to beat the Charlotte Hornets 94-87 for their fifth road win in the last six games.
— Jalen Johnson had 32 points and 15 rebounds and a key basket in the closing minute as the Atlanta Hawks held on to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 124-122.
— Scottie Barnes scored 14 of his 23 points in the third quarter as the Toronto Raptors beat the Sacramento Kings 122-109. Barnes added eight rebounds and seven assists.
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL – THURSDAY
Mt. Vernon/Plankinton vs. Platte-Geddes (DH) – KORN Country 92.1
Bon Homme vs. Parkston (DH)
Bridgewater-Emery vs. Howard (DH)
Hanson vs. Canistota (DH)
Corsica-Stickney vs. Ethan (DH)
Scotland/Menno vs. Freeman (DH)
Andes Central/Dakota Christian vs. Avon (DH)
Tripp-Delmont/Armour vs. Gregory (girls)
Mitchell Christian vs. Kimball/White Lake (boys)
Wessington Springs vs. Wolsey-Wessington (girls) 281 Tournament Third Place
Sanborn Central/Woonsocket vs. Highmore-Harrold (girls) 281 Championship
Wessington Springs vs. Sanborn Central/Woonsocket (boys) 281 Championship
CLASS AA GIRLS BASKETBALL – THURSDAY
No. 1 Brandon Valley vs. Pierre
Mitchell vs. No. 5 Tea Area
Harrisburg vs. SF Jefferson
CLASS AA BOYS BASKETBALL – THURSDAY
Mitchell vs. Tea Area
Pierre vs. Brandon Valley