Kernel girls end season on winning note, earning fifth place in Class AA
Mar. 15—RAPID CITY — For the first time in Mitchell High School girls basketball coach Dave Brooks' tenure, the Kernels finished a state tournament on a winning note.
Sixth-seeded Mitchell used a 17-8 fourth-quarter advantage to take down fifth-seeded Spearfish 49-38 to win the Class AA state consolation championship for the first time since 1984 as a member of Class A, the year before the current three-class system was introduced. The Kernels' fifth-place finish at the tournament is their highest placement since 2019, when Mitchell came home in fourth.
Following the game, there were feelings of joy and elation surrounding everyone on the team.
"That's kind of why you do this," Brooks said. "We always want to try to do the best job we can to give them the best chance to win, and then they roll the ball out and they got to go do it. ... It's a nice way to send our seniors out and I'm really happy for the kids."
The Kernels recaptured their shooting prowess in the opening half, going 9-of-19 from the field. Addie Siemsen put up the first points of the game on a three-point basket after Carsyn Weich's offensive rebound to keep the possession alive, as Mitchell showcased patience on the court in the first quarter.
Beginning the second quarter, Mitchell forced a pair of turnovers by the Spartans in transition despite being held scoreless in the first couple minutes of the period. Adelyn Bouman's reverse layup put Spearfish up by four points, only for Mitchell to push the tempo on both ends of the court, retaking the lead with 27 seconds left in the half.
"We all trusted each other," said Siemsen, who finished with a game-best 13 points with four rebounds and two steals. "Our competitiveness resonated with all of us and we turned up our defense even more. It's just the little plays that keep adding to the team."
Moving into the second half, Mitchell capitalized on Spearfish going cold from the field, holding the Spartans to a 20.7% shooting percentage. The Kernels went on a 12-2 scoring run during the middle stages of the fourth quarter, with Weich picking up key rebounds and a block against Mya Kochuten, who she held to only five points a day after she put up 26 to help Spearfish beat Sioux Falls Jefferson.
"(Carsyn) goes hard and she brings everybody with her," Brooks said. "It just proves when we've told the kids that you don't have to score to impact the game. You can do a lot of things and No. 23 does exactly that."
Weich, one of Mitchell's three starting seniors along with Lauren Van Overschelde and Kenzie Peterson, ended the game with a game-high seven rebounds with seven points, three assists and two steals. Van Overschelde scored 11 points and Peterson picked up four points and two assists. Londyn Hajek tallied six points, all at the foul line.
Spearfish, which previously defeated the Kernels 54-49 on Feb. 8, was led by Jozie Dana's 11 points, five rebounds and a game-high three steals. Averie Kirk was 4-of-8 from the field en route to eight points and seven rebounds. Bouman finished with five points and Tiersyn Grubb scored four points off the bench. The Spartans' season finishes at 18-6.
Mitchell ends the year with a 16-8 record, having gone 36-12 over the past two seasons. The postgame celebration brought a host of emotions over the seniors on the roster, remembering the memories made and lessons learned.
"You'll succeed and you'll have defeats," Peterson said, "But you also know someone's always there for you, as long as you stick together for them and yourself."
Mitchell 49, Spearfish 38
Mitchell (16-8): Londyn Hajek 0-5 6-10 6 Lauren Van Overschelde 4-5 2-2 11 Carsyn Weich 3-7 1-2 7 Addie Siemsen 4-10 2-2 13 Kenzie Peterson 2-2 0-0 4 Londyn Schroeder 0-1 0-0 0 Matteah Graves 1-1 0-0 2 CeCe Morgan 2-5 0-0 5. Totals: 16-36 11-16 48.
Spearfish (18-6): Adelyn Bouman 2-6 1-1 5 Jozie Dana 4-14 2-6 11 Averie Kirk 4-8 0-3 8 Kate Scharf 2-9 0-0 5 Mya Kochuten 2-12 0-0 5 Lanie Ewing 0-0 0-0 0 Tiersyn Grubb 1-2 2-2 4 Kali Reiners 0-0 0-0 0 Totals: 15-51 5-12 38.
MHS 12 24 32 49
SPR 15 22 30 38
3-pointers: MHS 5-16 (Hajek 0-4, Van Overschelde 1-1, Weich 0-1, Siemsen 3-8, Morgan 1-2), SPR 3-25 (Bouman 0-3, Dana 1-5, Kirk 0-3, Scharf 1-7, Kochuten 1-8). Rebounds: MHS 31 (Weich 7, Siemsen 5), SPR 32 (Kirk 7, Dana 5). Assists: MHS 10 (Weich 3), SPR 9 (Kochuten 5). Steals: MHS 5 (Weich 2, Siemsen 2), SPR 8 (Dana 3).
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