By Rich Winter

605 Sports

BROOKINGS — Trailing 35-33 midway through the fourth quarter the Vermillion girls outscored Mahpiya Luta 8-2 over the games final few minutes, advancing to the Class A semifinals with a 41-37 win.

Leading 19-18 at the half, Vermillion coach Jon Brooks talked about adjustments that helped his team secure a semifnal date against Sisseton on Friday.

“It was ugly for sure,” Brooks told South Dakota Public Broadcasting after the game. “We had to play backward against Red Cloud and they are a very, very good team. I thought we had some first game jitters so hopefully we will play a little better tomorrow.”

Junior Brooke Jensen led Vermillion with 13 points and 12 rebounds that included a strong first half. Jenaya Cleveland finished with nine points and seven rebounds and hit a clutch 3-pointer with 2:22 remaining that gave the Tanagers a 40-35 lead. 

Vermillion got off to a quick start Thursday with an early 3-pointer from Jensen who also had two blocked shots in the first quarter. A pair of first-quarter buckets from Chandler Cleveland gave the Tanagers a 14-11 after one quarter.

Mahpiya Luta started the game cold and only shot 26 percent for the game. Ashlan Carlow-Blount’s 3-pointer at the 4-minute mark of the second quarter closed the gap to 14-11. Carlow-Blount scored off a drive then scored off glass. Mahpiya Luta’s Mya Mills hit a 3-pointer with a minute remaining in the half as the Crusaders earned their first lead, 18-16.

Vermillion’s Kasey Hanson knocked down a late 3-pointer to give the Tanagers the halftime lead. 

Brooks knew the Red Cloud pressure was coming and he was right. The Tanagers had 10, first-half turnovers (21 for the game) but Brooks said his girls were prepared after working against pressure all week leading up to Thursday’s first-round game. 

“You can’t hold the ball on your head and you can’t be on your heels,” Brooks told South Dakota Public Broadcasting. “You gotta attack against pressure and you can’t angle backwards. We didn’t shoot very well from the free-throw line but we made just enough.” 

A tight battle throughout, Mahpiya Luta earned a 27-24 lead heading into the final quarter on a made 3-pointer from Mills. Crusader Jodene Hunter (12 points) scored six points in the fourth-quarter and gave Mahpiya Luta their last lead of the game, 35-33. 

Jensen’s putback gave Vermillion a 37-35 lead and Cleveland’s 3-pointer pushed Vermillion over the top. 

Carlow-Blount led Mahpiyua Luta with 16 points and four rebounds while Mya Mills added six points. 

“Our whole thing today was we just gotta find a way,” Brooks told South Dakota Public Broadcasting. “I am really happy for our girls and excited for tomorrow night.”