By Ryan Deal

605 Sports

“It feels good that we’ve had some success because we’ve had three uniquely different teams,” Red Cloud coach Matt Rama said. “It isn’t like we had to grow together and all these years we have been able to win with them. Every year we had a brand new crew.”

In a 67-43 championship win against Wall, the Crusaders placed four players in double figures, including 18 points from Steve Withorne MVP Taleah Lunderman. Kennedy Fridia had 15 points and eight rebounds. Jodene Hunter added 13 points, while Ashlan Carlow posted 10 points, 10 rebounds and three steals. Mya Mills chipped in with seven points. 

Rama said the team’s depth, balance and work ethic laid the foundation for their three-peat. 

“I think that just speaks a lot to how hard our kids work at Red Cloud and Mahpiya Luta and I am very proud of them,” Rama said. “Because you get this chance to win and it feels really good, but what no one sees is all the time they are by themselves.” 

On the boys side, Pine Ridge claimed its long-awaited championship against defending champion Rapid City Christian. It was Pine Ridge’s first LNI championship since 2003 and its sixth overall. 

“It means everything,” said Pine Ridge coach Casey Means after the 80-66 win. “Pine Ridge basketball has been a part of our community since the ‘80s and we are hopefully starting to build something like what we had back then. But for us, our family, our school, our community — it feels great to bring it back home where I think it belongs.” 

The Thorpes also showed off their depth and balanced attack against the Comets. 

Clinging to a 54-50 lead going into the fourth quarter, Pine Ridge outscored the Comets 26-16 in the final eight minutes. Pine Ridge’s Marvin Richard III paced Pine Ridge with 29 points, six rebounds and three 3-pointers. A budding sophomore guard, Richard III was named Steve Withorne MVP and tourney playmaker.

Pine Ridge celebrates winning the Lakota Nation Invitational championship on Dec. 16. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

Jaylin Rouillard tossed in 22 points and finished 6 of 14 from the 3-point line. He finished with the most made 3-pointers in the tournament. Kanye Hollow Horn had eight points and four blocked shots. Domonic Ghost Bear and Anthony Steele scored seven points apiece. 

“Jaylin hit some big threes and Anthony Steele plays stellar defense,” Means said. “There were three or four guys they could have given that defensive award to. But what matters to us is the championship.”

The championship was also No. 1 on Pine Ridge’s to-do list this year. 

“We checked it off the board,” Means said. “It was one of our goals we made to start the season. We are going to enjoy it for a couple of days and we are going to get back to the drawing board and figure out how to get better and get ready for March.”