By Ryan Deal 

605 Sports

Mahpiya Luta coach Matt Rama kept things in perspective on Jan. 18. 

Mahpiya Luta picked up a convincing 56-34 win over Vermillion in a top-five Class A girls basketball matchup at the Hanson Classic in Mitchell. 

No. 3 Mahpiya Luta looked sharp on both sides of the court, used a 15-2 second-quarter surge to seize control and held No. 2 Vermillion to a season-low point total. 

But Rama focused on keeping his team dialed into the process after beating Vermillion, which won last season’s Class A state championship.  

“It’s just the middle of the season,” Rama said. “So you are trying to keep getting better and make sure that you are moving forward. We want to be challenged and so we are happy to play Vermillion now. It was a good challenge, but we still have to continue to get better and move forward.”

Mahpiya Luta guard Jodene Big Crow-Hunter (10) pushes the ball up court during the second half of the Girls Hanson Classic Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025 at the Corn Palace in Mitchell. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

Mahpiya Luta all-stater Ashlan Carlow-Blount, who tallied 14 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, sounded like an extension of her coach after the marquee win. 

“It’s the middle of the season,” Carlow-Blount said. “Our goals are at the end of the season. This is a big win for us. But at the same time it's just a regular win. We have to worry about the next game on Tuesday now.”

It was a rare appearance at the Hanson Classic for Mahpiya Luta, which improved to 10-0 on the season. Rama was approached by former Hanson High School girls basketball coach and athletic director Jim Bridge last season at the state tourney about playing in this year’s classic. 

Rama couldn’t pass up the opportunity. 

“This is the biggest classic in the state, with the best teams,” Rama said. “So when someone asks if you want to participate in that you really want to jump on that. I am not a huge classic guy. I think development is the most important part of the program. But the opportunity to play here with the best teams in the state, we had to jump at it. We were very honored to be featured in the night game against Vermillion.”

For Mahpiya Luta, it was a shot at redemption against the Tanagers. Last season, Mahpiya Luta lost to Vermillion by a 41-37 margin in the Class A tourney opener. 

“This is a game that really crushed us last year,” Carlow-Blount said. “We had so much confidence going into state. We were undefeated and we didn’t end up playing our best.”

Mahpiya Luta turned the tables in the rematch. Jodene Big Crow-Hunter scored a team-high 19 points, grabbed five rebounds and hit three 3-pointers. Abigail Haas added seven points and eight rebounds. 

Mahpiya Luta guard Ashlan Carlow-Blount (1) pushes the ball up court during the second half of the Girls Hanson Classic Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025 at the Corn Palace in Mitchell. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

Mahpiya Luta shot 20-of-51 from the field and hit six 3-pointers. But its defense and rebounding sparked the victory.

Mahpiya Luta out-rebounded Vermillion (35-26), collected 25 defensive rebounds, forced 15 turnovers and tallied nine steals. 

“Our big thing at Mahpiya Luta is defense and so far this year we haven’t been getting to our defensive power how we have in the past years,” Carlow-Blount said. “For it to come out tonight was super big.”

It doesn’t get any easier for Mahpiya Luta, which will play at Class AA No. 5 Spearfish on Tuesday. 

It’s another opportunity for Mahpiya Luta to keep moving forward. 

“We just want to keep getting better,” Rama said. “We want to get better at the little things and pray that we can stay healthy and that we can have a chance in March.”

Taaliyah Porter moves into top-15 on Class AA scoring list

Rapid City Stevens senior guard Taaliyah Porter continued her climb up the Class AA girls basketball all-time scoring list.

Porter tallied 14 points in a 60-33 win over Sturgis on Jan. 18. Porter now has 1,349 career points, moving into No. 15 on the Class AA girls basketball all-time scoring list. 

Porter is 68 points shy of tying Becky Hammon’s Rapid City Stevens girls basketball record for most career points (1,417). 

The Raiders will host Watertown and Brookings on Jan. 24 and Jan. 25, respectively. 

Three 40-point performances on Jan. 18 

Three different boys basketball players notched 40-point performances on Jan. 18. 

Dell Rapids St. Mary’s Trevon Beckman tossed in 42 points in a 78-72 win over Dawson-Boyd, Minnesota, on Jan. 18. It concluded a big week for Beckman, who tallied 30 points vs. Elkton-Lake Benton on Jan. 14 and scored 31 points vs. Oldham-Ramona/Rutland on Jan. 16. Beckman also notched his 1,000th career point against ORR. 

Florence-Henry’s Carson Vavruska tallied 40 points in a 75-54 win over Langford Area on Jan. 18. 

Pine Ridge’s Marvin Richard III poured in 40 points in a 64-34 win over Sioux Valley, continuing his high-scoring season. Richard III has scored 40 or more points in four games this season, including a 57-point outburst at the Lakota Nation Invitational earlier this season. Richard III is averaging 32.5 points per game.