RAPID CITY — In a Lakota Nation Invitational championship rematch, Rapid City Christian was sharp, sound and secured a return trip to the finals. 

The Comets shot down Class B No. 3 White River, 64-38, in the Oceti Sakowin Bracket semifinals of the LNI on Saturday. Rapid City Christian will play in the LNI title game on Saturday. 

It was a far cry from last season’s meeting, a 79-77 thriller that went to Rapid City Christian in the LNI championship game. But Rapid City Christian coach Kyle Courtney still knew the significance of the victory and opponent. 

“I have a lot of respect for Eldon Marshall and his program,” Courtney said. “He’s just a tremendous basketball coach and Nic Marshall is a tremendous player. We knew he was a key tonight. I was really pleased.”

The Comets shot 9 of 21 from the 3-point line, received another balanced scoring effort and contained White River’s offensive attack. Benson Kieffer tossed in 21 points and hit four 3-pointers. Simon Kieffer chipped in with 18 points and nailed three 3-pointers.  

“It’s such a momentum builder,” Benson Kieffer said about the 3-point output. “We got a ton of good shooters. So knocking them down just helps us get more confident.”

Rapid City Christian’s defense complemented their offense, too. The Comets used a 13-6 second-quarter run and took a 30-16 advantage into the break. In the second half, Rapid City Christian maintained its double-digit lead. 

“I was pleased with the defensive effort,” Courtney said. “As a coach, there’s always things to improve on, but I thought we executed our game plan really well. I am really pleased with our kids.”

On the flip side, White River struggled from the 3-point line and around the basket. The Tigers shot 4 of 25 from the 3-point line and 14 of 46 overall from the field. Nic Marshall led White River with 16 points. 

“They just sped us up and when we got in the half court, we had to be smarter and more patient,” Eldon Marshall said. “We had some good looks, too. The shots weren’t falling from the guys we wanted shooting.”

Rapid City Christian’s defensive pressure also forced White River into 23 turnovers, which resulted in transition opportunities.  

“We knew they only had six, seven guys,” Benson Kieffer said. “So all game we wanted to pressure, pressure and I thought we did that well and they were getting tired. We forced a couple turnovers and got in transition and it led to some easy buckets.”

Up next, White River will play in the third-place game at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. 

“We have a quick turnout,” Eldon Marshall said. “So that will be a great test for me and our team to face another challenge that we have to overcome together.”

Rapid City Christian, meanwhile, will play in its second straight LNI championship on Saturday night. 

“Championship Night at the LNI is pretty special,” Courtney said. “I tell our kids not many high school kids get to experience that. So we know whoever it is — Pine Ridge or Lakota Tech — it’s going to be a really good team and that atmosphere is going to be fun.”