WEDNESDAY SPORTS, JANUARY 14, 2025
MITCHELL KERNELS
— The Mitchell Kernel girls ran their winning streak to four straight with a 51–32 wire-to-wire win over Sioux Falls Roosevelt. Addie Siemsen led the way with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while CeCe Morgan added a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Mitchell held Roosevelt to just 11 first-half points to improve to 5-3 on the season. The Kernels will be at Brookings on Friday night at 6 pm.
— Second-ranked Sioux Falls Roosevelt shook off an early 10–2 deficit and pulled away for a 57-48 win over Mitchell on Tuesday night. Deondre Painter led the Rough Riders with 18 points as Roosevelt improved to 7-1 and won its fourth straight. Colton Smith scored 19 with nine rebounds for the Kernels, but Mitchell shot under 30% and turned it over 22 times in the loss. Mitchell will be at Brookings on Friday night at 7:30 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels gymnastics 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, at the high school gym.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— Dakota Wesleyan swept the GPAC defensive player of the week awards for the second straight week, as Avery Broughton and Randy Rosenquist Jr. both earned conference honors. Broughton had 20 rebounds in a pair of wins over Doane and Mount Marty and tied a school record with six blocks in one game. Rosenquist picked up his third defensive award this season after posting a double-double and four steals against Mount Marty.
— 10th-ranked Dakota Wesleyan women’s basketball hosts Waldorf on Wednesday at 5 pm. The Tigers are tied for second in the GPAC with Concordia with a 9-2 conference record, just one game behind first place Dordt. Waldorf enters the game with a 2-15 overall record and 1-10 in the GPAC.
— Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball host Waldorf on Wednesday at 6:45 pm. The Tigers are currently tied with Doane for eighth place in the GPAC with a 4-6 conference record. However, DWU sits just 1 ½ games behind Mt. Marty for fourth place.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State men’s basketball will be at North Dakota State on Wednesday at 7 pm. The Jackrabbits picked up an 87-79 win on Thursday vs. Denver. SDSU is currently 2-1 in the Summit League and 9-9 overall. North Dakota State enters Wednesday’s matchup at 14-5 overall and 4-0 in the Summit League.
— South Dakota State women’s basketball host Denver on Thursday at 7 pm.
— South Dakota State wrestling will be at Utah Valley on Friday night at 8 pm CST.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD women’s basketball will host North Dakota on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Coyotes have already surpassed their win total of last season with its 12th victory of the year last week vs. St. Thomas. Molly Joyce has scored 20+ points in each of the last three games, with 21 at Kansas City two weeks ago, 24 on Thursday against Oral Roberts, followed by 21 points at St. Thomas this past Saturday.
— USD men’s basketball face Kansas City on Thursday at 7 p.m.
🏀 43rd Annual Hanson Girls Classic – Corn Palace, Saturday, January 17
10:00 AM Hanson vs. Woodbury Central (IA)
11:30 AM No. 9B Sanborn Central/Woonsocket vs. Elk Point-Jefferson
1:00 PM Corsica-Stickney vs. No. 6B Harding County – Q107.3
2:30 PM No. 1B Lyman vs. No. 10A Mobridge-Pollock
4:00 PM St. Thomas More vs. No. 7A Dakota Valley
5:30 PM No. 5A Wagner vs. No. 3A Hamlin – Q107.3
7:00 PM No. 2B Parkston vs. No. 4B Ethan – Q107.3
8:30 PM No. 1A Mahpíya Lúta vs. No. 2A Lennox
NFL
— Mike Tomlin has stepped down as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers after 19 seasons. Tomlin led the franchise to a Super Bowl title and another Super Bowl appearance, winning 193 regular-season games and never having a losing season. But after seven straight playoff losses, including a 30-6 home defeat to Houston on Monday, Tomlin told team president Art Rooney it was time for a new direction. The Steelers will now begin a search for just their fourth head coach since 1969.
— Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison was arrested early Monday morning in Tampa, Florida. He was charged with misdemeanor trespassing at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino and later released on a $500 bond. Head coach Kevin O’Connell said the team is still gathering facts, while the incident adds to Addison’s growing off-field history as the Vikings evaluate his future with the team.
MLB
— Twins center fielder Byron Buxton has been named to Team USA’s roster for the World Baseball Classic, joining teammate Joe Ryan. It will be the first WBC appearance for both Minnesota stars. Buxton is coming off an All-Star season with 35 home runs and a top-12 MVP finish. Team USA opens World Baseball Classic play in early March in Houston.
— The Arizona Diamondbacks have acquired eight-time All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado from St. Louis for minor league pitcher Jack Martinez. The Cardinals are also including $31 million in the trade. A 10-time Gold Glove winner, Arenado has played for the Cardinals the past five seasons. The 34-year-old Arenado batted. .237 with 12 homers and 52 RBIs last
— 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.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL – TUESDAY
Kansas 84, No. 2 Iowa State 63 – First loss of the season for Iowa State.
No. 3 UConn 69, No. 25 Seton Hall 64 (OT) – UConn improves to 17-1.
No. 8 Nebraska 90, Oregon 55 – Huskers improve to 17-0 and have won 21 straight games.
No. 12 Michigan State 81, Indiana 60
No. 16 Virginia 79, No. Louisville 70
No. 24 Tennessee 87, Texas A&M 82 (OT)
COLLEGE BASKETBALL – WEDNESDAY
No. 5 Purdue vs. Iowa – 5:30 pm, Big Ten Network
Texas vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt (16-0) – 8 pm, ESPN2
No. 1 Arizona (16-0) vs. Arizona State – 9:30 pm, FS1
Washington vs. No. 4 Michigan – 9:30 pm, Big Ten Network
California vs. No. 6 Duke – 10 pm, ACC Network
No. 11 BYU vs. TCU – 10 am, ESPN2
NBA
— Julius Randle scored 29 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves never trailed in a 139-106 blowout of the Milwaukee Bucks. The Timberwolves won their sixth of seven despite missing top scorer Anthony Edwards due to maintenance on his right foot and leading rebounder Rudy Gobert, who served a one-game suspension for flagrant fouls. The Timberwolves made a season-high 22 3-pointers on 43 attempts and shot a season-best 59% overall to improve to 27-14 on the season.
— Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat San Antonio 119-98. This marked their first win in four tries for OKC against the Spurs this season. The Thunder improved to a league-best 34-7 at the season’s midway point.
— LeBron James had 31 points. 10 assists and nine rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 141-116. Luka Doncic added 27 points and 12 assists for the Lakers, who jumped to a 32-point lead early in the second half.
— Bam Adebayo had a game-high 29 points and Norman Powell added 27 as the Miami Heat rallied late to beat the Phoenix Suns 127-121. Miami blew a 20-point lead, then took control again behind clutch shots from Adebayo and a late three by Powell. Devin Booker had 24 for Phoenix.
— Kevin Durant had 28 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a 119-113 win over the Chicago Bulls. There were 35 lead changes in the game as Houston trailed by one with about 3 ½ minutes to go before going on a 7-2 run.
— Jimmy Butler scored 16 points, capitalizing on Steph Curry’s 11 assists, as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Portland Trail Blazers for a 119-97. The teams combined to have an NBA-record 21 different players make at least one 3-pointer.
— Jamal Murray scored 35 points and had nine assists as the Denver Nuggets beat the New Orleans Pelicans 122-116. Peyton Watson added 31 and hit the go-ahead jumper in the final minute.
— Dallas Mavericks big man Anthony Davis will be sidelined about six weeks in his latest injury absence, although the 10-time All-Star won’t need surgery to repair ligament damage in his left hand. Davis was injured late in the Mavericks’ loss to Utah last week. The 32-year-old missed 15 of the 16 games in November with a calf strain.
NFL DIVISIONAL ROUND
Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills – Saturday at 3:30 pm on CBS
Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers – Saturday at 7 pm on FOX
New England Patriots vs. Houston/Pittsburgh – Sunday at 2 pm on ABC/ESPN
Chicago Bears vs. Los Angeles Rams – Sunday at 5:30 pm on NBC
NEWS
— The Supreme Court seems likely to uphold state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams. Lower courts ruled for the transgender athletes in Idaho and West Virginia who challenged the state bans. But the conservative-dominated Supreme Court gave no indication after more than three hours of arguments Tuesday that it would follow suit. Instead, at least five of the six conservatives on the nine-member court indicated they’ll rule the laws don’t violate either the Constitution or the landmark Title IX law. Title IX prohibits discrimination in education and has produced dramatic growth in girls and women’s sports.
— Senegal and Ivory Coast fans who want to support their teams at the World Cup this summer have had their plans upended because of a travel ban imposed by the U.S. federal government. The two west African countries were added in December to the list of countries with “partial restrictions” on entry to tournament co-host United States, barring those on tourist visas as the supporters would be if they were to follow their teams. Some fans suggested the U.S., which is hosting the 48-team event with Canada and Mexico, should be stripped of the tournament if it doesn’t allow all participating teams their supporters.
HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL – TUESDAY
No. 2B Parkston (9-0) 63, Platte-Geddes 29 – Berkley Ziebart scored 18 points and had her 1,000th career point.
No. 4B Ethan 83, Bridgewater-Emery 33
Elk Point-Jefferson 48, No. 5A Wagner 46 – Ashlyn Koupal had 23 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks.
No. 9B Sanborn Central-Woonsocket 63, Kimball-White Lake 34
Wessington Springs 40, Mt. Vernon/Plankinton 37
McCook Central-Montrose 46, Hanson 39
Freeman 52, Parker/Marion 26
Avon 53, Canistota 22
DeSmet 43, Howard 29
Tripp-Delmont-Armour 36, Andes Central/Dakota Christian 18 – Kinley Spaans with 16 points and eight rebounds.
No. 5B Centerville 68, Scotland/Menno 17 – Izzie Eide with 30 points.
AA GIRLS – TUESDAY
No. 1 Brandon Valley 60, Crofton, Neb. 31
No. 2 O’Gorman 72, No. 3 SF Washington 35 – Sydney Terveen finished with 28 points, five assists and four 3-pointers
No. 4 Aberdeen Central 53, Watertown 20
Rapid City Stevens 54, Sturgis 26
HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL – TUESDAY
No. 8B Freeman 72, Parker/Marion 29 – Tate Sorenson with 20 points.
Parkston 62, Platte-Geddes 50 – Brycen Bruening finished with 22 points and five rebounds, while Mason Jervik had 15 points and eight rebounds.
Wessington Springs 52, Mt. Vernon/Plankinton 27
Ethan 59, Bridgewater-Emery 56 – Davin Hohn scored 22 points for Ethan. Holden Wollmann scored 24 points and Ben Weber added 22 points for B/E.
Sanborn Central-Woonsocket 66, Kimball-White Lake 23
Tripp-Delmont-Armour 63, Andes Central/Dakota Christian 42
Wagner 61, Elk Point-Jefferson 54
No. 2B DeSmet 53, Howard 24 – Grant Wilkinson had 29 points and 22 rebounds.
Centerville 55, Scotland/Menno 28
Corsica-Stickney 46, Mitchell Christian 14
AA BOYS – TUESDAY
No. 3 Harrisburg 46, Brandon Valley 43
No. 5 Huron 54, Yankton 43
O’Gorman 54, SF Washington 40
Watertown 59, Aberdeen Central 45
Tea Area 63, Pierre 43