TUESDAY SPORTS, JANUARY 6, 2025
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell High School has announced designated parking for senior citizens and handicap-accessible vehicles at home basketball games. On game nights, the Northwest Parking Lot will be reserved to provide closer and safer access to the gym. The school says signage will be in place. Mitchell hosts Harrisburg on Tuesday night at 7 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels boys basketball faces Harrisburg on Tuesday at 7 pm. Coverage starts at 6 pm with the KORNer Booth pregame show on KORN.
— Mitchell Marlins boys hockey won three straight games over the weekend and had their highest scoring output of the season. Mitchell defeated Brandon Valley on Friday 7-5, led by four goals from Everett Morrison. The Marlins followed that up Saturday with a 9-7 road victory at Sioux Center, scoring six of the final seven goals after trailing by three. Morrison and Kade Sabers each finished with five points. The weekend wrapped up Sunday with a 3-2 overtime win over Brandon Valley, as Connor Degen scored the game-winner. Mitchell has now won four of its last five and returns to action January 25th at home against Aberdeen.
— Mitchell Kernels girls basketball will host Yankton on Friday at 6 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels wrestling competes in Harrisburg in a triangular on Thursday against the Tigers and Yankton at 5 pm
— Mitchell Kernels gymnastics competes at the Brookings Invitational on Saturday.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— No. 10 Dakota Wesleyan women’s basketball, 11-4 overall and 7-2 in conference play, hosts Doane on Wednesday at 6 pm at the Corn Palace.
— Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball, 8-8 on the season, host Doane on Wednesday at 7:45 pm at the Corn Palace.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State men’s basketball returns home Thursday to host Denver at 7 pm
— South Dakota State women’s basketball, 12–4 overall and 2–0 in Summit League play, hosts Oral Roberts on Saturday at 1 p.m.
— No. 8 South Dakota State wrestling heads to the NWCA National Duals this weekend.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD men’s basketball, 8-8 on the season, will be at St. Thomas on Wednesday at 8 pm.
— USD women’s basketball, 11–4 on the season, hosts Oral Roberts on Thursday at 7 pm.
FCS
— Myles Sansted kicked the extra point in overtime as Montana State won its first national championship since 1984, beating Illinois State 35-34 Monday night in the FCS title game in Nashville. Justin Lamson tied the game with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Taco Dowler on fourth-and-10 in overtime. Hunter Parsons blocked the extra point attempt after Illinois State QB Tommy Rittenhouse threw a 10-yard TD pass to give the Red Birds its only lead at 34-28 to open overtime.
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
— Bridgewater-Emery hosts Sanborn Central/Woonsocket tonight for a doubleheader starting at 6:15 pm on Q107.3. The Bridgewater-Emery girls are 3-1 on the season with its only loss coming to No. 1 Centerville. Sanborn Central/Woonsocket is also 3-1 with its only loss coming to No. 10 Corsica-Stickney. On the boys side, the Huskies are 3-2, while the Blackhawks are 4-1.
— No. 7A Wagner hosts No. 5B Ethan tonight for a doubleheader starting at 6:15 pm on KORN Country 92.1. Ethan is undefeated on the season at 5-0, averaging 67 ppg, the second most in Class B. Meanwhile, Wagner is 4-1, allowing just 34 points per game.
NFL
— Four NFL head coaches were fired on Monday, bringing the total number of openings to six. Jonathan Gannon was let go by the Cardinals after a 3-win season. Pete Carroll’s one year with the Raiders ended after a 3-14 record. Kevin Stefanski was dismissed by the Browns despite two late wins after six seasons. Raheem Morris was fired by the Falcons despite finishing with four straight wins. Earlier firings include Brian Daboll of the Giants and Brian Callahan of the Titans.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
— Arizona holds onto the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 by a single point over Michigan. It marks one of the closest races in the poll’s 78-year history. Arizona received 32 first-place votes, while Michigan got 29. The top six teams remain unchanged, with Iowa State, UConn, Purdue, and Duke following Michigan. Nebraska is in the top 10 for the first time since 1966, riding an 18-game winning streak. The Big 12 has seven ranked teams, including four in the top 10, while the Big Ten has six in the poll and three in the top 10.
— Kentucky and Vanderbilt made significant jumps in The Associated Press women’s basketball Top 25. This follows a week where four of the top 10 teams lost. UConn remains No. 1, followed by Texas, South Carolina, and UCLA. Oklahoma has moved up to fifth. Kentucky and Vanderbilt each rose five spots to sixth and seventh after defeating LSU. Vanderbilt’s win was its first against a top-five team in 17 years. Only four teams remain undefeated: UConn, Texas, Vanderbilt, and Texas Tech.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
— Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss plans to return to school next season if the NCAA approves his request for an additional year of eligibility. Chambliss announced his decision three days before the Rebels play Miami in the Fiesta Bowl. Chambliss took a redshirt his first season at Ferris State and another due to medical reasons his second season there. Ole Miss filed a waiver request with the NCAA in November. Chambliss threw for over 3,600 yards and 21 touchdowns after taking over as the Ole Miss starter in the third game of the season.
NBA
— The NBA is returning to China next season with two preseason games in October between the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets. The games will be played on October 9th and 11th. The Rockets remain popular in China, thanks in part to former star Yao Ming.
— Brandon Miller scored 28 points as the Charlotte Hornets stunned the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder 124-97. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points for his 108th straight game with at least 20, the second-longest streak in NBA history. It was Oklahoma City’s second straight loss and second home defeat of the season. The defending NBA champions started 24-1 but now are 30-7.
— Kevin Durant scored 26 points and his 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds to go lifted the Houston Rockets to a 100-97 win over the Phoenix Suns.
— Kawhi Leonard had 24 points and 12 rebounds as the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Golden State Warriors 103-102.
— Denver’s Bruce Brown scored 19 points and got the winning bucket in overtime off a goaltending call on Joel Embiid as the Nuggets defeated Philadelphia 125-124.
— Cade Cunningham had 29 points and 13 assists as the Detroit Pistons beat the New York Knicks 121-90. It was the first meeting between the teams since May 1, when the Knicks eliminated the Pistons in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series.
— Anfernee Simons scored 27 points as the Boston Celtics held the Chicago Bulls to 33 points in the opening half of a 115-101 victory.
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL – TUESDAY
Bridgewater-Emery vs. Sanborn Central Woonsocket (DH) – 6:15 pm on Q107.3
Wagner vs. Ethan (DH) – 6:15 pm on KORN Country 92.1
Mt. Vernon/Plankinton vs. Corsica-Stickney (DH)
Parkston vs. Hanson (DH)
Tripp-Delmont/Armour vs. Kimball/White Lake (DH)
Platte-Geddes vs. Canistota (DH)
Faulkton Area vs. Wessington Springs (DH)
Irene-Wakonda vs. Freeman (DH)
Alcester-Hudson vs. Avon (DH)
Andes Central/Dakota Christian vs. Gregory (DH)
No. 1 Sioux Falls Christian vs. No. 2 West Central (boys)
Colman-Egan vs. Mitchell Christian (boys)
Dell Rapids vs. McCook Central/Montrose (girls)
Howard vs. Sioux Falls Lutheran (girls)
CLASS AA – GIRLS
Watertown vs. No. 1 Brandon Valley
Brookings vs. No. 2 O’Gorman
Vermillion vs. Yankton
Sturgis vs. Rapid City Central
CLASS AA – BOYS
Pierre vs. No. 1 Sioux Falls Lincoln
Brandon Valley vs. Watertown
O’Gorman vs. Brookings
Vermillion vs. Yankton
Tea Area vs. Sioux City North, Iowa
Sturgis vs. Rapid City Central
Douglas vs. Rapid City Stevens
NFL WILD CARD PLAYOFFS
Carolina Panthers vs. Los Angeles Rams – 3:30 pm on Saturday, FOX
Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers – 7 pm on Saturday, Amazon
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Buffalo Bills – Noon on Sunday, CBS
Philadelphia Eagles vs. San Francisco 49ers – 3:30 pm on Sunday, FOX
New England Patriots vs. Los Angeles Chargers – 7 pm on Sunday, NBC
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Houston Texans – 7:15 pm on Monday, ABC/ESPN
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS – SEMIFINALS
No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Miami – Fiesta Bowl, 6:30 pm, Thursday, on ESPN
No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 5 Oregon – Peach Bowl, 6:30 pm, Friday, on ESPN
Boys
Class AA
1. Lincoln (21) 6-0 105 1
2. Huron 5-1 71 2
3. Roosevelt 4-1 60 3
4. Spearfish 4-0 31 T-5
5. Harrisburg 3-1 19 T-5
Receiving votes: Mitchell 13, Watertown 8, Brandon Valley 4, Tea Area 4.
Class A
1. SF Christian (17) 3-0 206 1
2. West Central (4) 6-0 192 2
3. Clark/Willow Lake 5-0 168 3
4. St. Thomas More 4-1 120 4
5. Mahpiya Luta 6-0 99 T-7
6. Lennox 2-2 89 5
7. Dakota Valley 4-1 75 9
8. Hamlin 3-1 61 10
9. Groton Area 4-2 48 6
10. Vermillion 3-2 36 RV
Receiving votes: Cheyenne-Eagle Butte 33, Madison 13, Baltic 8, Rapid City Christian 6, Stanley County 1.
Class B
1. Viborg-Hurley (11) 6-0 197 3
2. De Smet (4) 5-0 184 4
3. Castlewood (6) 4-1 177 1
4. Sully Buttes 4-0 125 9
5. Aberdeen Christian 3-1 95 5
6. Wessington Springs 3-2 67 6
7. Wall 4-3 66 7
8. Parkston 5-1 57 RV
9. Freeman 2-2 53 8
10. Deubrook Area 5-1 37 RV
Receiving votes: Estelline-Hendricks 27, Dell Rapids St. Mary’s 21, Ipswich 17, Lyman 16, Marty 9, Ethan 4, Bridgewater-Emery 2, Sanborn Central/Woonsocket 1.
Girls
Class AA
1. Brandon Valley (21) 4-0 105 1
2. O’Gorman 3-1 75 2
3. Washington 6-0 69 3
4. Aberdeen Central 5-1 40 4
5. Tea Area 6-1 16 RV
Receiving votes: Jefferson 6, Rapid City Stevens 4.
Class A
1. Mahpiya Luta (20) 6-0 209 1
2. Lennox (1) 6-0 187 2
3. Hamlin 5-0 156 3
4. Sioux Valley 5-0 139 4
5. Dakota Valley 5-0 127 5
6. SF Christian 5-1 114 6
7. Wagner 4-1 71 9
8. West Central 6-1 60 8
9. Aberdeen Roncalli 6-1 36 10
10. Mobridge-Pollock 3-2 34 7
Receiving votes: Lakota Tech 7, Clark/Willow Lake 6, St. Thomas More 6, Milbank 2, Groton Area 1.
Class B
1. Centerville (12) 6-1 187 2
2. Lyman (2) 4-0 177 3
3. Parkston (2) 6-0 165 4
4. Bennett County (5) 2-2 147 1
5. Ethan 5-0 116 6
6. Harding County 6-0 114 5
7. Colman-Egan 6-0 88 8
8. Sanborn Central/Woonsocket 3-1 64 7
9. Chester 5-1 32 RV
10. Corsica-Stickney 2-2 19 9
Receiving votes: Ipswich 16, Deubrook Area 11, Highmore-Harrold 9, Lemmon 5, Waubay-Summit 3, North Central 2.