Lennox, Mahpiya Luta settle scores with Hamlin, SF Christian in state A semis
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WATERTOWN — Fifth-seeded Lennox and second-seeded Mahpiya Luta each settled scores and will now play for the 2026 South Dakota state Class A high school girls basketball championship.
Lennox avenged two close regular-season losses to top-seeded Hamlin with a 57-41 semfinal win on Friday, March 13, in the Watertown Civic Arena. Mahpiya Luta followed with a 58-45 win over Sioux Falls Christian in a rematch of the 2025 state championship that Christian won at the buzzer.
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Lennox, which will be seeking its first state title since 1988, and Mahpiya Luta, the school formerly known as Red Cloud that has never won a state title, are slated to meet in the championship at about 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, March 14.
In other games, Lakota Tech meets Wagner for seventh place at 11 a.m., followed by Sioux Valley taking on West Central in the consolation championship at 12:45 p.m. The evening session opens at 5 p.m. with Hamlin facing Sioux Falls Christian.
Lennox 57, Hamlin 41
The third time proved to be the charm for Lennox, an extremly athletic team with only one senior regular that had suffered 59-57 and 45-42 losses to Hamlin during a two-week span in late January and early February.
The third matchup didn't appear to be going to the Orioles' way when Hamlin used a three-point play by Addie Jensen to grab a 15-8 lead with 5:58 left in the first half. Lennox answered with an 11-0 run and took a 23-17 halftime lead.
The Orioles opened the second half with convention three-point plays by sophomore Teagen Strurm and freshman Tori Gerdes that were part of a decisive 23-13 third period.
"They attacked us way more aggressively off the dribble than they did the first two games," Hamlin coach Tim Koisti said. "We also had the lead early when they switched to a 1-3-1 (zone) and with their length, it bothered us and we got flustered. In big moments, sometimes it's hard to adjust and we just didn't."
Lennox pushed its lead to 18 points late in the third quarter and to as high as 20 with 1:39 remaining. Sturm led a balanced attack with 14 points. Freshman Bergan Musser added 12, junior Karlie Bosma nine and Gerdes eight.
Senior standout Addie Neuendorf scored 22 points for Hamlin. Junior Issie Steffensen was next with seven. Jensen added 10 rebounds and senior Sarita Stevenson seven.
Mahpiya Luta 58, Sioux Falls Christian 45
The halftime score (Mahpiya Luta 23, SF Christian 17) was very similar to that from Friday's first semifinal. Like Lennox did, Mahpiya Luta stretched its lead with 16-7 surge in the third quarter and maintained a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.
Senior standout Ashlan Carlow-Blount used a big second half to lead Mahpiya Luta with 14 points and eight rebounds. The University of South Dakota recruit had plenty of help with 10 points from sophomore Peyton Knife, nine from senior Dorthie Mesteth, eight from senior Mya Mills and from junior Jayden Standing Soldier.
Mahpiya Luta shot only 33 percent (21 of 64) from the field but limited to Sioux Falls Christian to 23 percent (15 of 64). The Chargers went 4-for-27 in the first half.
Junior Emory Lems tallied 15 points, senior Aubrie VanBeek 10 and senior Ruth Dvoracek and junior Lezlei Setzer eight each. Setzer also pulled down nine rebounds.
Consolation Semifinals
In Friday's consolation semifinals, Sioux Valley topped Lakota Tech 61-53 and West Central defeated Wagner 46-38.
Kacey Jaton's 16 points led West Central, which also received 11 from Mackenzie Skonhovd and 10 from Ellie Knight. Knight also had eight rebounds, four assists and five steals. Wagner was led by Ashlyn Koupal's 35 points and 17 rebounds.
Kailey Cradduck's 19 points and 17 rebounds power Sioux Valley. Amari Ward added 14 and 13 and Talya Vincent finished with 12 points. Lizzie Robinson scored 22 points and Amelia Shangreaux 15 for Lakota Tech. Kate Robinson and Isabella Shangreaux each grabbed seven rebounds.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Final two days of state Class A girls basketball tournament