TUESDAY SPORTS, DECMEBER 16, 2025
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell Kernels basketball starts its season on Tuesday with a doubleheader at Watertown. The girls play at 6 pm, followed by the boys at 7:45 pm. The KORNer Booth pregame show starts at 5 pm on KORN News Radio. The Mitchell boys are currently ranked No. 3 in the prep media poll and after ranked No. 4 in last week’s preseason poll. The Kernels have made the state championship game three seasons in a row. Meanwhile, the Mitchell girls have qualified for the state tournament in three straight seasons.
— Mitchell Kernels wrestling hosts Huron for a home dual on Thursday with the girls starting at 6 pm and the boys at 7 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels gymnastics will host the Jill McCormick Invitational on Saturday at 11 am at the high school gym with 15 teams scheduled to compete.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball, 5-7 on the season, hosts Northwestern on Wednesday at 7 pm. The Tigers are currently tied for eighth in the GPAC with a 2-4 conference record.
— No. 14 Dakota Wesleyan women’s basketball travels to Hawaii this week to take on Providence (Mont.) on Thursday at 3 pm, followed by Campbellsville (Kent.) on Friday at 5:15 pm. The Tigers are 5-2 in the GPAC, tied with Hastings for third place in the conference.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State men’s basketball lost to Wyoming 87-72 on Monday night at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls. Wyoming made nine of its first 10 shots and jumped out to a 20-8 lead. Four Jackrabbits scored in double digits, led by Kalen Garry’s 15 points. Nasir Meyer led Wyoming with 25 points and seven rebounds. SDSU falls to 7-6 on the season and will be at Milwaukee on Friday at 4 pm.
— South Dakota State women’s basketball will be at Duke on Thursday at 6 pm CST. The Jackrabbits are 10-2 on the season and have won five games in a row. Duke is 4-6 on the season with three losses vs. top 5 teams. Duke win in Brookings last season 75-71 on its way to an Elite 8 appearance.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD men’s basketball host Dakota State on Wednesday at 7 pm. The Coyotes are coming off a 97-85 win on Saturday vs. Prairie View A&M to improve to 6-6 on the season.
— USD women’s basketball will be at Pepperdine on Wednesday at 8 pm CST. The Coyotes fell to 8-3 on the season after a 65-62 loss at Bradley on Wednesday.
MINNESOTA TWINS
— The Minnesota Twins have added a veteran bat, signing first baseman Josh Bell to a one-year free-agent deal with a mutual option, worth a guaranteed seven million dollars. The 33-year-old switch-hitter is coming off a season with Washington where he hit .237 with 22 home runs and 63 RBIs. Bell has played for five teams over the past four seasons and has 193 career home runs, including a career-high 37 in 2019,
NFL
— The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Miami Dolphins to stay atop the AFC North. Aaron Rodgers passed for 224 yards and two touchdowns in Pittsburgh’s 28-15 win on Monday night. The Steelers have won 23 straight home games on Monday nights and hold a one game lead over Baltimore for the division lead. Miami falls to 6-8 on the season with three game remaining.
— Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has undergone successful surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee, with doctors also fixing a torn LCL. The procedure was performed Monday night in Dallas. Mahomes was injured late in Sunday’s loss to the Chargers, a game that eliminated the Chiefs from playoff contention. Recovery is expected to take about nine months, putting his availability for the start of next season in question.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
— The Associated Press has released its All-America football team, featuring four Ohio State players among 10 first-team picks from the Big Ten Conference. Caleb Downs of Ohio State and QB Fernando Mendoza of Indiana headline the list. Downs, a repeat selection, is the Big Ten defensive player of the year. Mendoza, the AP Player of the Year, led Indiana to a 13-0 record and the top seed in the College Football Playoff. The team includes players from 18 schools, with seven from the College Football Playoff. Western Kentucky, Navy, and Hawaii each have first-team selections for the first time in decades.
MLB
— Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim is returning to the Atlanta Braves on a $20 million, one-year contract. The 30-year-old from South Korea had declined a $16 million player option from the $29 million, two-year contract he agreed to this past February with Tampa Bay.
— RP Edwin Díaz won’t receive all of his $69 million from the Dodgers until 2047, with the closer’s deal raising deferred payment obligations for the two-time World Series champions to more than $1 billion due to nine players. As part of the three-year contract announced Friday, Díaz gets a $9 million signing bonus payable on Feb. 1. He receives a $14 million salary next year and $23 million in each of the following two seasons. The Dodgers will defer $4.5 million annually.
— A lawyer for the family of late pitcher Tyler Skaggs argues that the Los Angeles Angels’ failure to investigate reports of drug use and dealing by the team’s communications director led to the overdose death of the 27-year-old player. An Angels’ attorney, however, says it was Skaggs who was pushing drug addicted employee Eric Kay to provide him with pills. The long-running civil trial in Southern California is over whether the team should be held responsible for Skaggs’ death.
NBA
— Cooper Flagg scored the most points by an 18-year-old in NBA history, finishing with 42 points in a 140-133 loss to the Utah Jazz. Flagg topped the previous mark of 37 set by LeBron James in Dec. 2003. Keyonte George led Utah with 37 points.
— Nikola Jokic had 39 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his NBA-leading 12th triple-double of the season as the Denver Nuggets defeated the Houston Rockets 128-125 in overtime in a matchup of two of the top three teams in the Western Conference standings. Jamal Murray added 35 points for Denver, including 14 of his 15 free-throw attempts.
— Cade Cunningham had 32 points and 10 rebounds to help the Detroit Pistons beat the Boston Celtics 112-105. Jaylen Brown had 34 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to lead the Celtics. The Piston improve their Eastern Conference best record to 21-5.
— Brandon Ingram scored 28 points as the Toronto Raptors snapped a four-game losing streak with a 106-96 victory over Miami, extending the Heat’s losing streak to five.
— Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 21 of his 31 points in the first half and Cam Spencer added a career-high 27 points as the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Los Angeles Clippers 121-103.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL – TUESDAY
No. 20 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Louisville, 6 pm on ESPN
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Jacksonville State vs. Troy, 8 pm on ESPN, Tuesday, Salute to Veterans Bowl
South Florida vs. Old Dominion, 4 pm on ESPN, Wednesday, Cure Bowl
Delaware vs. Louisiana, 7:30 pm on ESPN, Wednesday, 68 Ventures Bowl
NBA
New York Knicks vs. San Antonio Spurs, NBA Cup Final, Tuesday at 7:30 pm on Amazon Prime Video
Boys
Class AA
1. Lincoln (23) 1-0 119 1
2. Huron 1-0 79 3
3. Mitchell (1) 0-0 49 4
4. Roosevelt 2-0 40 RV
5. O’Gorman 1-1 37 5
Receiving votes: Brandon Valley 17, Harrisburg 9, Rapid City Central 5, Washington 3, Spearfish 2.
Class A
1. SF Christian (23) 1-0 239 1
2. West Central (1) 1-0 209 3
3. Clark/Willow Lake 1-0 185 4
4. St. Thomas More 2-0 137 7
5. Lennox 0-1 136 2
6. Groton Area 1-0 128 8
7. RC Christian 1-0 59 9
8. Hamlin 0-1 49 5
9. Dakota Valley 0-0 46 9
10. Vermillion 1-0 35 RV
Receiving votes: Madison 29, Pine Ridge 29, Winner 14, Mahpiya Luta 10, Baltic 8, Britton-Hecla 2, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte 2, Flandreau 1, Parker/Marion 1, Sioux Valley 1.
Class B
1. Castlewood (20) 1-0 227 1
2. Wessington Springs (1) 1-0 207 2
3. Dell Rapids St. Mary’s (2) 1-0 176 3
4. Viborg-Hurley 1-0 161 5
5. Wall (1) 1-0 157 4
6. Lyman 1-0 96 7
7. Freeman 0-1 84 6
8. Aberdeen Christian 0-0 68 8
9. De Smet 1-0 67 9
10. Bridgewater-Emery 1-0 15 RV
Receiving votes: Estelline-Hendricks 14, Sully Buttes 14, Parkston 11, Howard 8, Leola-Frederick Area 7, Wolsey-Wessington 3, Deubrook Area 1.
Girls
Class AA
1. Brandon Valley (24) 1-0 120 2
2. O’Gorman 1-1 87 1
3. Washington 1-0 72 3
4. Jefferson 1-0 50 4
5. Aberdeen Central 2-0 22 RV
Receiving votes: Mitchell 3, Spearfish 2, Stevens 2, Roosevelt 2.
Class A
1. Mahpiya Luta (20) 1-0 232 2
2. Lennox (3) 1-0 183 9
3. Hamlin 1-0 177 3
4. Sioux Valley (1) 2-0 156 5
5. Dakota Valley 0-0 140 4
6. SF Christian 2-1 132 1
7. Wagner 0-0 99 6
8. Mobridge-Pollock 1-0 78 8
9. West Central 1-0 34 RV
10. Flandreau 1-0 32 10
Receiving votes: Canton 21, Aberdeen Roncalli 12, Lakota Tech 11, Miller 5, Vermillion 4, St. Thomas More 2, Pine Ridge 2.
Class B
T-1. Bennett County (12) 1-1 207 1
T-1. Sanborn Central/Woonsocket (4) 1-0 207 2
3. Centerville (7) 2-0 190 3
4. Lyman 1-0 165 4
5. Parkston 2-0 152 5
6. Harding County (1) 1-0 109 6
7. Ethan 1-0 100 7
8. Deubrook Area 1-0 76 8
9. Colman-Egan 1-0 47 9
10. Dell Rapids St. Mary’s 1-0 43 T-10
Receiving votes: Freeman 10, Corsica-Stickney 8, Lemmon 3, Avon 1, Chester 1.