By 605 Sports Staff

RAPID CITY — Benson Kieffer etched his name in Lakota Nation Invitational lore on Saturday.

The sophomore buried a jumper in the lane with three seconds left to lift Rapid City Christian past Class B No. 1 White River, 79-77, for the LNI championship at the Summit Arena.

The shot gave Rapid City Christian its first-ever LNI championship against White River, which has won seven tournament titles and has played in 12 championship games since 2007. 

“Benson Kieffer hit that shot at the end of the game, but it was really a team win tonight,” Rapid City Christian coach Kyle Courtney said. “We had a lot of guys contribute and we came up with some stops when we needed them.”

Kieffer capped off an entertaining championship game that featured a handful of lead changes down the stretch. White River’s Joe Sayler split a pair of free throws with :11.8 seconds left and Rapid City Christian called a timeout with 7 seconds left. 

Kieffer inbounded the ball along the sideline and received a hand off around a ball screen. He attacked the basket at the top of the key, rose up with three White River defenders surrounding him and drilled it with three seconds left. White River’s Nic Marshall full-court heave as time expired fell short and the Comets celebrated their first-ever tourney title. 

“What a finish,” Courtney said. “What a game. I am really proud of my kids. White River is an amazing program. I have all the respect in the world for (White River coach) Eldon Marshall.”

Kieffer, who was named tourney MVP, tossed in 28 points and hit four 3-pointers. Julius Frog added 19 points and finished 3 of 3 from the 3-point line. Elijah Hoyt logged 18 points. 

Sayler finished with 29 points and five 3-pointers. Marshall added 26 points and hit six 3-pointers. 

The seesaw title tilt went back and forth in the closing minutes. Sayler gave White River a 67-65 lead with 3:50 left. But Kieffer nailed a transition 3-pointer and Frog hit a jumper for a 70-67 advantage. Rapid City Christian stretched its lead to 74-70 with 1:50 left.  

“I felt like we ran out of gas a little bit in the first half and got down,” Marshall said. “But credit our kids for battling back. We battled and battled and got a lead. Credit Rapid City Christian for making plays down the stretch.”

Rapid City Christian’s Benson Kieffer is mobbed by his teammates after hitting a game-winning shot to lift the Comets over White River in the championship game of the Lakota Nation Invitational Saturday at the Summit Arena in Rapid City. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

The teams traded free throw attempts in the final 46 seconds, combining to go 6 of 12 down the stretch. Hoyt split a pair of free throws with :13.6 seconds left, leaving Rapid City Christian’s lead at 77-76. Sayler went 1 for 1 at the free-throw line with :11.8 seconds left, evening the score at 77-77. 

That set the stage for Kieffer’s game-winning shot. 

“I am just proud our kids found a way to win the game,” Courtney said. “They showed a lot of heart tonight and just a will to win.”

The Comets weren’t rattled in their first-ever LNI championship berth. They built a pair of 10-point leads and held a 35-29 halftime lead. White River surged back in the second half and built a five-point advantage before the entertaining finish.  

“It is just a fun atmosphere,” Courtney said. “We told our kids to soak this up. How many times as a high school kid playing basketball are you going to be in this environment?”