Mahpiya Luta shines in Class A semifinals, remains unbeaten for title chance

Mar. 15—SPEARFISH, S.D. — Mahpiya Luta played with a lead for much of the night on Friday in the Class A state girls basketball semifinals.

And that lead shrank and wavered but Class A's last undefeated team never gave it up, holding on for a 72-66 victory over No. 2-seeded Dakota Valley to advance to the state championship game at the Young Center.

Mahpiya Luta will play for the Class A state championship for the first time since 1991, when the school formerly known as Red Cloud finished second. They will face top-seeded Sioux Falls Christian — another team going for its first state title — at 8:45 p.m. Central on Saturday night in Spearfish.

Mahpiya Luta led by as many as 18 points in the first half, with a 14-6 charge to start the second quarter for a 34-16 lead and a 13-point edge at the halftime break.

The Panthers got that margin down to a single point six times in the second half, including with 42 seconds left when Camryn Sommervold scored an inside basket to make it 67-66 Mahpiya Luta. On the next possession, Jodene Big Crow-Hunter drilled a 3-pointer to take the lead back to four points and DV didn't have an answer, with Ashlyn Carlow-Blount icing the game with two additional free throws with 14 seconds left.

Big Crow-Hunter and Carlow-Blount stole the show for Mahpiya Luta. Big Crow-Hunter had 25 points in 31 minutes of play, while Carlow-Blount had 23 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists, while going the distance with 32 minutes played. Mahpiya Luta shot 43% from the field and exceeded 70 points scored in a game for the 13th time this season. Mahpiya Luta also won the rebounding battle 46-37.

For Dakota Valley, Aubree Worden had 23 points, while Ella Otten had 14 points and Sommervold finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Emerson Mead had eight points and eight rebounds for the Panthers, who move to 22-3 and will face Hamlin for third-place on Saturday.

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