MITCHELL — Ethan and Parkston turned back the clock to 1981 on Friday.

Separated by 14 miles, Ethan and Parkston had not played a girls basketball game since 1981, a Class B state tournament seventh-place game won by the Rustlers. 

The Rustlers and Trojans finally met on the basketball court 44 years later, in a marquee Class B girls basketball matchup at the DWU/Culver’s Classic. 

“It was a good experience for us,” said Ella Pollreisz after Ethan’s 47-31 win at the Corn Palace. “We definitely got better because they are a really good team. I think we have just been waiting to play them because we never have before. But it was really exciting.”

In addition to their close distance, several of the girls are teammates on the Ethan/Parkston track and field team in the spring. That added another layer to the long-awaited contest. 

“We are all pretty close,” said Pollreisz, who finished with 17 points and six rebounds. “It was really good sportsmanship and we all get along really well.”

For Ethan coach Tom Young, he admitted he was hesitant for the matchup because of the familiarity among the girls. 

“Some of these girls are teammates in other sports and sometimes I think those get blown up more importantly than they really are,” Young said. “I know Parkston was excited to play this and our girls were excited to play this. But to me as a coach I have so much respect for those guys. I have respect for (Parkston coach) Cole (Knippling) and I have respect for their program.”

The Corn Palace atmosphere also added another wrinkle to the contest, as both Ethan and Parkston are just down the road from Mitchell. 

“It was pretty equal,” Pollreisz said. “It was great because all our fans got to come, and everyone was just pumped up and excited.” 

The Rustlers, who were coming off a win over Class A Mount Vernon/Plankinton on Thursday, used a second-half surge to top the Class B No. 2 Trojans. The Rustlers were clinging to an 18-14 halftime lead, and flipped the game with a 14-8 third-quarter surge. Ethan closed out the game with a 15-9 fourth-quarter margin. 

“We did a really good job defensively trying to take away what they do best,” Young said. “I think some of our girls stepped up and hit big shots. That got us momentum late in the third quarter, and in the fourth quarter.”

Ethan’s Rachel Klock finished with 12 points and five rebounds. Marissa Storm added seven points, four assists, four steals and three rebounds. 

For Parkston, Morgan Maxwell and Mya Thuringer scored nine points apiece. Keeara Oakley added six points and five rebounds, while Berkley Ziebart had five points.