HURON — A third-quarter surge sent Lyman to the Class B girls consolation championship at the Huron Arena.

The Raiders used a 15-5 third-quarter burst and outlasted Harding County, 57-48, in the consolation semifinals on Friday at the Class B girls basketball tournament. Lyman will play Parkston at 1:45 p.m. on Saturday for the consolation title. 

On Friday, Lyman flushed its first-round defeat against Sanborn Central/Woonsocket and coach Derrius Buus was pleased with his team’s response. 

“I have a good group of kids,” Buus said. “I can’t ask for better, and I knew they would come back. Harding County is good and they are a nice team and we knew that we would have to play well. In order to play well you have to be mentally ready and I just really felt this morning our girls were ready.”

Lyman placed four players in double figures, including Bree Smart with 15 points. Mak Scott added 13 points and 10 rebounds. Brooke Palmer had 12 points and six rebounds, while Jordyn Scott totaled 11 points, four rebounds and four assists. 

The Raiders relied on their defense in the all-West River tilt. The Ranchers shot 16-of-58 from the field and just 5-of-19 from the 3-point line.  

“I thought we just defended well,” Buus said. “They made some shots there at the end and did some things, but I just thought we really defended well in the core time of the game.” 

Clinging to a 22-20 halftime lead, the Raiders held the Ranchers to just five points in the third quarter. And Palmer, Lyman’s lone senior, credited the third-quarter surge to their halftime speech. 

“I think our locker room conversation helped us a lot,” Palmer said. “We were focused. We regrouped. We fixed things and we kind of executed more. We all talked and communicated to fix things and work things out.”

Harding County, which received 15 points from Kamry Padden, chipped away at the deficit in the fourth quarter. The Ranchers got within 46-40 midway through the fourth quarter, but got no closer as Lyman executed just enough in the waning moments. 

“We executed on the offensive end pretty well, and our defense was good,” Palmer said. “So I think the comeback was a little boost in our energy for tomorrow.”

Palmer helped Lyman maintain its lead in the fourth quarter, finishing with seven points and a key 3-pointer to push Lyman’s lead back to double digits. She also finished 4-of-4 on free throws in the final 2 1/2 minutes. 

“That’s what she’s been doing all year,” Buus said. “We know she is our lone senior, and we want to really have a good experience for her this weekend and she stepped up nicely for us.”

Harding County’s Macey Wendt and Kaylen Padden scored 11 points apiece. Bailey Verhulst added six points for the Ranchers, who play Deubrook Area for seventh place on Saturday. 

The Raiders, meanwhile, will play Parkston for the second time this season. The Trojans won the regular-season meeting, 51-44. 

Buus was complimentary of the Trojans, while also expecting a fun atmosphere at the Huron Arena. 

“They bring a ton of fans,” Buus said. “It’s fun playing in front of a lot of fans and the atmosphere is great. We are looking forward to it.”