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South Dakota B girls state tournament roundup: Top-seeded Arlington cruises, No. 2 seed upset

roger merriam, watertown public opinion
·4 min read

RAPID CITY — Arlington's first State B girls basketball tournament game in 13 years turned out just fine.

The top-seeded Cardinals led most of the way and downed eighth-seeded James Valley Christian 51-41 in the opening game of the tournament on Thursday in the Summit Arena at The Monument.

Arlington, coached by Watertown native Tara (Heiser) King, improved to 22-2 and earned the shot to avenge one of those losses when it faces fourth-seeded Ethan at 6 p.m. Friday in the semifinals.

Harley Johnson, the team's lone senior, had a memorable game with 18 points and four steals. She also reached the 1,000-point mark for her career. Jaelyn Huntimer added 15 points and Addie Steffensen eight points and seven rebounds. Steffensen, a junior, scored her 1,00th career point earlier this year.

Arlington's Harley Johnson drives past James Valley Christian's Andree Frandsen during their first-round game in the state Class B girls baskeball tournament on Thursday, March 7, 2024 in the Summit Arena at The Monument in Rapid City.
Arlington's Harley Johnson drives past James Valley Christian's Andree Frandsen during their first-round game in the state Class B girls baskeball tournament on Thursday, March 7, 2024 in the Summit Arena at The Monument in Rapid City.

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Arlington made 21 of 57 field-goal attempts compared to 16 of 50 for 32 percent for James Valley Christian (16-7).

Kaylie Robinson collected 14 points and eight rebounds and Alexa Goertz 10 points for the Vikings, who were hurt by 18 turnovers.

No. 4 Ethan 51, No. 5 Wall 45

A 10-2 spurt to start the third quarter help Ethan grab the lead and the Rustlers survived Wall's late comeback attempts. Madeline Bartscher scored eight points to open the second half to help Ethan snap a 25-25 halftime deadlock. After Wall battled back to tie the game at 44-44 with 3:-09 remaining, Ethan scored seven of the game's final eight points.

Ava Lingemann notched 15 points and seven assists for Ethan (21-2), including four free throws in the final 22 seconds. Rachel Klock also had 15 points and Bartscher 10.

Ethan's Eva Lingemann (14) looks to shoot against Wall's Rhea Tucker during their first-round game in the state Class B girls baskeball tournament on Thursday, March 7, 2024 in the Summit Arena at The Monument in Rapid City.
Ethan's Eva Lingemann (14) looks to shoot against Wall's Rhea Tucker during their first-round game in the state Class B girls baskeball tournament on Thursday, March 7, 2024 in the Summit Arena at The Monument in Rapid City.

Nora Dinger and Rhea Tucker each scored 12 points and Faith Frink nine for Wall (19-5). Paige Kjerstad grabbed 12 rebounds, Tucker eight and Frink seven.

Ethan made 18 of 49 field-goal attempts for 37 percent and Wall 14 of 56 for 25.

No. 7 Lyman 54, No. 2 Harding County 49

Lyman (21-2) knocked off previously-unbeaten Harding County (22-1) in a game that went down to the wire.

Harding County trailed 52-49 with nine seconds left and had the ball. The Ranchers missed two free throws with five seconds left and Lyman's Skyler Volmer closed out the win by sinking two free throws with 1.6 seconds remaining.

Volmer recorded 17 points, Mak Scott 14 and Brooke Palmer 13 for Lyman, which shot 32 percent from the field and committed 38 turnovers.

Bailey Verhulst (12 points) and Stacie Carda (11) paced Harding County, which made 25 turnovers of its own and canned only 18 of 39 free throws compared to Lyman's 20 of 28.

Warner's Kyra Marcuson (4) makes a move to the basket as Centerville's Althea Gust (3) defends during their first-round game in the state Class B girls basketball tournament on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2024 in the Summit Arena at the Momument in Rapid City.
Warner's Kyra Marcuson (4) makes a move to the basket as Centerville's Althea Gust (3) defends during their first-round game in the state Class B girls basketball tournament on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2024 in the Summit Arena at the Momument in Rapid City.

No. 3 Centerville 59, No. 6 Warner 50

Centerville scored 11 unanswered points in just over four minutes in the fourth quarter to pull away for the win.

Afrer Warner pulled within 41-40 on Kyra Macuson's 3-pointer with 7:33 left, Izzie Eide scored seven points and Althea Gust four to put Centerville in control at 52-40 with 3:20 remaining.

Gust poured in 25 points and Eide and Emma Marshall each 14 for Centerville, which shot 47 percent (24 of 51) from the field.

Sophia Hoeft scored 13 points, Marcuson nine and Kyleigh Schopp eight for Warner (21-3). Ava Nilsson grabbed 11 rebounds and Schopp nine to lead the Monarchs to a 36-31 advantage on the glass.

Warner made 20 of 53 field-goal attempts for 37 percent.

Arlington's Jolyssa Steffensen shoots a free throw during a first-round game against James Valley Christian in the state Class B girls baskeball tournament on Thursday, March 7, 2024 in the Summit Arena at The Monument in Rapid City.
Arlington's Jolyssa Steffensen shoots a free throw during a first-round game against James Valley Christian in the state Class B girls baskeball tournament on Thursday, March 7, 2024 in the Summit Arena at The Monument in Rapid City.

Friday's Games

James Valley Christian and Wall meet at 1 p.m. Central and Harding County and Warner follow at 2:45 p.m. in consolation semifinal games. Arlington meets Ethan at 7 p.m. in the first semifinal, followed by Lyman vs. Centerville at 8:45 p.m. Ethan is the only semifinal team with a state championship.

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: South Dakota Class B girls basketball tournament quarterfinals results