By Rich Winter

605 Sports

SPEARFISH — Leading Dakota Valley 67-66 with 45-seconds remaining in the Class A girls state basketball semifinals, Jodene Big Crow-Hunter came up big. 

Big Crow-Hunter knocked down a 3-pointer that gave her team just enough breathing room to hold on for a 72-66 win. 

“I felt like I was set and got into my shot form and as soon as I released it I knew it was going in,” she said. 

Big Crow-Hunter’s dagger sent the predominantly Crusader fans at the Donald E. Young Center on the campus of Black Hills State University into a frenzy. Mahpiya Luta (25-0) takes on Sioux Falls Christian (24-1) in Saturday’s championship game. 

Big Crow-Hunter led Mahpiya Luta with 25 points. Teammate Ashlan Carlow-Blount finished with 23 points, 17 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and three steals and talked about Friday’s win fulfilling a childhood dream. 

“This has been a goal of mine ever since I knew what the state tournament was,” Carlow-Blount said. “My goal has always been to reach the championship game and win it and having the opportunity to do it with this group of girls feels amazing.” 

After trading buckets early Dakota Valley earned a 9-5 advantage with back-to-back baskets from Cameryn Sommervold. Carlow-Blount’s 3-pointer tied the game at eleven. 

Big Crow-Hunter hit a 3-pointer, Carlow-Blount a two-pointer and following a pair of made free throws from Abigail Haas the Crusaders led 20-12 after one quarter of play. 

Mahpiya Luta stretched that lead to 30-14 with Big Crow-Hunter and Carlow-Blount doing most of the damage. The Crusaders biggest lead came at 34-16 before the Panthers started chipping away at the lead late in the first half. 

Ella Otten hit a bucket and Aubree Worden made two free throws. After a Worden basket the Panthers had cut the lead to 37-26. Mahpiya Luta’s Mya Mills made a basket just before half as the Crusaders led 39-26 at halftime. 

Bella Stokes hit an early 3-pointer for Dakota Valley before Worden hit a pair of baskets to trip the lead to 41-33. Another Otten basket, another from Worden and a 3-point make from Stokes cut the margin to a single point with the Panthers trailing 41-40. 

The 14-2 run ended when Mya Mills hit a 3-pointer but Dakota Valley’s Otten hit another 3-point basket. The Panthers never took the lead but trailed 46-45 before Mahpiya Luta closed the quarter on a 5-0 run to hold a 51-45 advantage going into the final quarter.

Big Crow-Hunter opened the quarter with a pair of baskets and once again it looked like Mahpiya Luta had seized control, leading 55-46 with 6:58 remaining in the game.  

“I told the girls that Dakota Valley is a really good team and this was going to be a game of runs,” Matt Rama, Mahpiya Luta coach said. “We might go up by 10, they might go up by ten. I can’t predict so we have to go through these runs and I just told them that all we need to be is one point ahead at the end of the game.” 

Sommerveld started the run that brought the Panthers back when she drained a deep 3-pointer. Following five points from Worden the lead was down to four, 58-54. Big Crow-Hunter hit a free throw with just under four minutes remaining for a 64-50 lead but Otten went on a five point run that found Dakota Valley trailing 61-60. The Panthers trailed 64-63 off a layup from Emersen Mead and then 67-66 off a Sommervold basket with 42 seconds remaining. 

And that’s when Big Crow-Hunter hit the shot that sent Mahpiya Luta to a championship game for the first time since 1991. 

“This is so amazing because state has been six or seven hours away each of the last few years,” Carlow-Blount said. “To have it two hours away and the fact that everyone can come up and support us has been huge. The fans showed up today when it mattered and showed how crazy they were the whole game and that just made us want to play harder. 

Worden paced Dakota Valley with 23 points. Otten finished with 14 points and Sommervold chipped in with 11 points and 11 rebounds. 

Dakota Valley takes on Hamlin Saturday in the third-place game.