By Jacob Wuertz

605 Sports

MITCHELL — The cliche “success breeds success” has been synonymous with Viborg-Hurley boys basketball since the co-op’s inception in 2010. The Cougars are hoping to continue that success with this season’s team. 

Viborg-Hurley is 3-1 so far this season, and its most recent win was an eye-opener for many, considering how young the team is. The team consists of just one senior and several underclassmen, including four juniors, two sophomores, and five freshmen. The Cougars already had wins over Freeman and Irene-Wakonda, with their lone loss against Elk Point-Jefferson, but they used a balanced offense and a stout defense to pull away from Gregory for a 58-44 win at the Hoop City Classic on Dec. 28. The win gave the young team confidence, but not without struggle and perseverance. 

Viborg-Hurley struggled in the first quarter with turnovers, but were only down by two as Gregory took a 15-13 lead at the end of the first quarter. The youth and inexperience was showing early on for the Cougars.

“We had a few turnovers in that first quarter that held us back a little bit, but from that point on I thought we really took care of the ball pretty well,” Viborg-Hurley coach Galen Schoenefeld said. 

Viborg-Hurley adjusted in the second quarter and outscored the Gorillas 19-8, taking a 32-23 lead into the half. From there, the Cougars were able to continue the effort and come away with a victory. Viborg-Hurley outscored Gregory 18-11 in the third quarter, extending its lead to 50-34 entering the final period. From there the Cougars finished out the game, despite being outscored 10-8 in the final frame.

Gage Goettertz, the lone senior, led the Cougars with 18 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in the win. Goettertz also had the tall task of containing Gregory standout forward Daniel Mitchell, whose 6-foot-7 frame is a nightmare matchup for opponents. Mitchell finished with 16 points and seven rebounds, but the Cougars were able to limit the junior’s touches.

“I’ll give credit to Gage Goettertz. We are pretty much able to put him on almost any position on the floor and he accepts the challenge,” Schoenefeld said. “Daniel (Mitchell) still got 16 (or) 17 points, but I feel like for the most part Gage did a good job of making the baskets that he got as tough as he could.”

Sophomore Nick Hanson recorded 15 points and 10 rebounds, while juniors Bryson Morrison (11 points) and Kobee Sherman (five points) also contributed to the scoring effort. The Cougars also rely on underclassmen such as junior Devin Sayler, sophomore Rafe Goettertz, and freshman Braydyn Morrison and Brady Schroedermeier to contribute on both ends of the floor. The team has worked to gain valuable experience early this season, and the win over Gregory gave the team experience moving forward.

“I think it’s really good experience anytime you can play in a classic like this,” Schoenefeld said. “I think (it’s) definitely a building block.” 

Viborg-Hurley’s next contest is at Hanson on Jan. 5.

Ryken breaks own assist record

Yankton’s Rugby Ryken dished out 12 assists against Brookings on Dec. 30.

He tied his own Yankton record for most assists in a game, which he set last season against Aberdeen Central.

Viborg-Hurley’s Coral Mason records 1,000th career point 

Viborg-Hurley’s Coral Mason big game pushed Class B No. 1 Viborg-Hurley past Wall for a girls basketball win at the Parkston Classic on Friday.

In the 74-36 victory, Mason finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds and scored her 1,000th career point. Estelle Lee tallied 10 points. Shelby Lyons had nine points, while Denae Mach recorded eight points. Madelyn Vasgaard and Charley Nelson each added six points. Nelson also dished out seven assists.

Pierre’s Lincoln Kienholz moves into No. 3 on school scoring list

Pierre’s Lincoln Kienholz netted 40 points over the weekend and moved into No. 3 on the school’s all-time scoring list. 

The future Ohio State University quarterback currently has 1,160 career points, behind Pierre’s Lane Severyn (1,471) and Zach Hanson (1,362) on the school’s scoring list. The all-state guard is also inching closer to top-15 on the Class AA all-time boys basketball scoring list. 

Top performers

There was no shortage of top performers during the Christmas break. Here’s a look back at some top individual performances of the final week of 2022.  

• Iroquois/Lake Preston’s Logan Peskey logged 30 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Baltic on Dec. 31 at the Entringer Classic in Brookings.

• Sioux Valley’s Oliver Vincent finished with 25 points in a 67-58 win over De Smet on Dec. 31 at the Entringer Classic in Brookings. De Smet’s Damon Wilkinson powered the Bulldogs with 27 points and nine boards. 

• Dell Rapids’ Brayden Pankonen registered 26 points and five rebounds in a 64-52 win over Hamlin on Dec. 31 at the Entringer Classic in Brookings. 

• Faulkton Area’s Layne Cotton racked up 32 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in a 69-62 win over Mitchell Christian on Dec. 30 at the Huron Holiday Classic. 

• Elkton-Lake Benton’s Ryan Krog tossed in 28 points in a 68-51 win over Lyman at the Huron Holiday Classic on Dec. 30. 

• A quartet of players powered Class A No. 1 Dakota Valley to a 90-54 win over Chamberlain at the Parkston Classic on Dec. 30. Isaac Bruns scored 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Jaxson Wingert tallied 25 points. Jaxon Hennies had 20 points. Randy Rosenquist logged 12 points, 11 rebounds, 16 assists and five steals. 

• St. Thomas More’s Caleb Hollenbeck logged 30 points and seven rebounds in a 56-46 win over Aberdeen Central at the Pentagon Classic on Dec. 30. 

• Lennox’s Porter Ihnen piled up 28 points in a 75-73 victory over Waconia (Minn.) at the Hoop City Classic on Dec. 29. 

• White River’s Joe Sayler (36 points) and Nic Marshall (21 points) combined for 57 points to pace the No. 1 Tigers to a win over Campbell County (Wyo.) at the Hoop City Classic on Dec. 29. 

• Faulkton Area’s Addison Melius racked up 27 points in a 61-37 win over Lower Brule on Dec. 29 at the Huron Holiday Classic. 

• Warner’s Ava Nilsson piled up 16 points and 20 rebounds in a 52-41 win over Burke at the Huron Holiday Classic on Dec. 29.

• James Valley Christian’s Kaylie Robinson finished with 26 points, six rebounds and four assists in a 60-48 win over De Smet at the Huron Holiday Classic on Dec. 29. 

• Flandreau’s Claire Sheppard totaled 27 points and 10 boards in a 61-42 win over Dell Rapids on Dec. 29. 

• Ethan’s Riley Endres recorded 31 points and 10 rebounds in a 67-64 win over McCook Central/Montrose on Dec. 28 at the Hoop City Classic. 

• Mitchell’s Sawyer Stoebner logged 12 points and 20 rebounds in the Kernels’ 59-39 loss against Campbell County on Dec. 28 at the Hoop City Classic. 

• Clark/Willow Lake’s Kaplan Felberg posted 32 points, five steals and three 3-pointers in a 79-35 win over Milbank on Dec. 31.