RAPID CITY — Mahpiya Luta’s first Lakota Nation Invitational boys basketball championship since 2007 was an instant classic. 

Mahpiya Luta rallied from a 14-point deficit and outlasted Cheyenne-Eagle Butte, 76-74, in double overtime for the Oceti Sakowin championship at an electric Summit Arena. 

“A classic,” Mahpiya Luta coach Christian McGhee said about the game. “Either way it was a classic. I am happy we came out on top. But it was an instant classic.”  

The victory snapped an 18-year championship drought, and a full-circle moment for McGhee, who was a senior guard on the 2007 championship team. 

“I was a player on that ‘07 team and it feels even better to do this,” McGhee said. “Because I love these kids. It’s just amazing.”

Amazing is a fitting word to describe Mahpiya Luta and Cheyenne-Eagle Butte’s double-overtime thriller on Saturday. The game featured momentum swings, clutch plays and a rocking crowd at the 12,500-seat Summit Arena. 

“It was intense and we had to work hard for it,” said Mahpiya Luta sophomore guard Memphis Brewer, who was named the tourney MVP.  

Mahpiya Luta (5-0) trailed by as many as 14 points in the second quarter, and used a third-quarter surge to get within striking distance. Mahpiya Luta outscored Cheyenne-Eagle Butte, 20-13, in the third quarter to get within 51-47. 

“We just kept pushing the intensity and we relied on our work ethic and we have been working on,” said Brewer, who scored eight points.

Mahpiya Luta’s Jesse Carlow capped off the third-quarter surge with back-to-back 3-pointers, and finished 3-of-3 from the 3-point line. Carlow finished with 13 points.   

“Jesse Carlow hit some big ones for us,” McGhee said. “He hasn’t played a whole bunch. He came in and stepped up when we needed him to, and that was really what sparked us.” 

Mahpiya Luta’s third-quarter surge set the stage for the frantic finish. In the fourth quarter, CEB’s Nicholas Woods II split a pair of free throws for a 63-61 lead with 18 seconds left and Mahpiya Luta called a timeout with 12 seconds left. 

After the timeout, Mahpiya Luta’s Okte Spotted Eagle took the inbound pass and slipped to the hoop for the game-tying basket with five seconds left.

“I got a screen, got down and shot it,” Spotted Eagle said. “I had to be pretty confident. It rolled in. I am super happy I did it.” 

“I trust him in that moment,” McGhee added about the play. “He’s a big-time player and he needs to trust himself more, but I trust him and I knew he was going to make it.” 

After a timeout, Damien Clown’s halfcourt heave fell short, sending the game into overtime. 

In overtime, Mahpiya Luta trailed 69-67 after Woods II hit a field goal with 33 seconds left. Mahpiya Luta’s Julian Tonche drove to the basket and evened the score with 15 seconds, sending the game into double overtime.

In double overtime, Clown split a pair of free throws to give CEB a 74-71 lead with 59 seconds left. Mahpiya Luta scored the final five points, including a Brewer tip-in and a Spotted Eagle offensive putback with 12.5 seconds left. 

The 5-0 spurt set off Mahpiya Luta’s celebration. 

“It felt amazing,” Brewer said. “There was so much excitement. It’s just hard to explain.”

Clown and White finished with 18 points apiece for CEB. Woods II and Levi Elk Nation scored 15 points apiece. 

Braylon Little scored 16 points, while Tonche and Christian Jack scored 10 points apiece. 

The Braves led 19-11 after the first quarter, with Clown (eight points) and Elk Nation (six points) leading the Braves. CEB led 38-27 at halftime before Mahpiya Luta chipped away against the Braves. 

“Hats off to them,” McGhee said. “Great, great team. They are going to go a long way. That’s a state team, and I think so are we. So I am excited about the potential of maybe playing them again.”