Trailing 42-36 heading into the fourth quarter, the Dell Rapids Quarriers outscored the Madison Bulldogs 25-12 in the final quarter to earn a 61-54 victory. The win was their 12th win in a row and 10th win in Dak-12 Conference play.
Dell Rapids led 13-12 after a back-and-fourth first quarter, but Madison pulled ahead in the second quarter and took a 27-23 lead into halftime. The Bulldogs were able to maintain a six-to-eight point lead throughout much of the third quarter and led 42-36 at the end of the quarter. The Quarriers opened the fourth quarter on a 13-2 run and never relinquished the lead after that point. The Bulldogs were never able to get any closer than three points the remainder of the game.
The Quarriers finished the game shooting 35% (21-60) from the field, 29% (4-14) from three-point area, and 75% (15-20) from the free-throw line. Dell Rapids had 32 team rebounds, 10 team assists, and forced 17 Bulldog turnovers.
Three players finished in double figures for Dell Rapids. Emma Paul had a team-high 18 points along with five rebounds. Jayda Knuppe had 12 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Arial Hoffman had 11 points, six rebounds, and two assists. Averi Pankonen finished with five points in the game. Madison was led by Jessi Giles with 20 points and Olivia Rud with 18 points.
Dell Rapids finishes the regular season with a 16-4 overall record and a 10-1 Dak-12 Conference record. The Quarriers will be the #1 seed in the Region 3A Tournament and will receive a first round bye. Dell Rapids will play the winner #5 Baltic and #4 Sioux Falls Christian on Thursday, February 23rd, at Tea Area High School. The game can be seen on Big Sioux Media.