Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media, Author at Big Sioux Media Sports Network

Mustang Defense Stifles Quarrier Girls

February 5, 2021 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Tri-Valley Mustangs held Dell Rapids to just five made field goals and forced 26 turnovers in a 54-17 win over the Quarriers on Thursday, February 4th at Tri-Valley High School.

After leading by just four points at 9-5 with a minute to play in the first quarter, Tri-Valley finished the quarter on a 6-3 run to lead 15-8. The Mustangs then outscored Dell Rapids 20-3 in the second quarter for a 35-11 halftime lead. Tri-Valley then outscored Dell Rapids 19-6 in the second half.

Two players finished in double figures. Tabor Teel had 22 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. Paige Jewett had 15 points. Steph Buchmann had seven points, and Kaitlyn Mohnen had five points, seven rebounds, and three steals.

Tri-Valley shot 39% (20-51) from the floor, 33% (9-27) from three-point area, and 50% (5-10) from the free-throw line. The Mustangs had 20 steals as a team.

Tri-Valley (7-7) will play Groton at the Dak-12/NEC Clash on Saturday, February 6th in Madison.

Baskets Hard to Come by for Quarrier Girls at Tri-Valley

February 5, 2021 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dell Rapids Quarrier girls had a hard time finding open looks at the hoop against the Tri-Valley Mustang defense all night long, and when they were able to get a look, shots just didn’t fall for the Quarriers. The Mustangs defeated the Quarriers 54-17 on Thursday, February 4th at Tri-Valley High School.

Tri-Valley only had a four-point lead at 9-5 with a minute to play in the first quarter. The Mustangs finished the quarter with a 6-3 advantage and led 15-8 heading into the second quarter. Tri-Valley then outscored Dell Rapids 20-3 in the second quarter for a 35-11 halftime lead. The Mustangs outscored the Quarriers 19-6 in the final two quarters of the game.

The Quarriers shot just 15% (5-33) from the field in the game, 18% (2-11) from three-point area, and 50% (5-10) from the free-throw line. Tri-Valley was 39% (20-51) from the field, 33% (9-27) from three-point area, and 50% (5-10) from the free-throw line.

Haileigh Barnhart had six points and six rebounds. Jayme Schmidt finished with four points. Zoey Hilmoe added three points. Kylee Fiddelke and Claire Wynja both had four rebounds each.

Dell Rapids (3-13) will play Deuel at the Dak-12/NEC Clash in Madison on Saturday, February 6th. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:30 p.m., and the game can be seen on Big Sioux Media.

Melvin Selken

February 5, 2021 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Melvin E. Selken, 89, of Sioux Falls, formerly of Dell Rapids, passed away on Sunday, January 31, 2021 at the Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls. His funeral service was at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, February 5, 2021 at the Reformed Church, Dell Rapids. Visitation with the family present was from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 4, 2021 at Kahler-Brende Funeral Home. www.kahlerfh.com

Melvin E. Selken was born on August 22, 1931 to Charles and Goldia (Wilka) Selken in Larchwood, IA. He grew up and attended school in Argonne, SD and graduated in 1949. He then started working for John Morrell. He was drafted into the US Marines in March of 1949 where he served in the Korean War until his discharge in March of 1952. He returned to Sioux Falls where he went back to work for John Morrell. He married Arla Alberts on April 13, 1957 in Sioux Falls, SD. The couple made their home near Harrisburg for five years and milked cows before moving to their farm near Dell Rapids in 1962. Melvin retired from John Morrell on September 1, 1985. During retirement he worked on his farm and enjoyed raising livestock. The couple moved to Sioux Falls in 2019.

He was a member of the Reformed Church in Dell Rapids and the Sioux Falls American Legion Post.

Melvin was preceded in death by his parents, six sisters, two brothers and his son, Gordon.

He is survived by his wife, Arla of Sioux Falls; his five sons, Greg (Pam) of Dell Rapids, Roger (Samella) of Brookings, Keith (Darla) of Brandon, Neil of Garretson and Jerry (Deb) of Colman; his 12 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren; his siblings, Louise Lund of Sioux Falls, Raymond (Margrit) of Germany, Lucille (Gene) Tooley of Sioux Falls, June (Richard) Smith of IL, Ronald of Sioux Falls and Leroy (Armena) of Sioux Falls.

Cardinal Girls Have No Trouble with Bearcats

February 5, 2021 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Photo taken and used with permission by Tammy Chamley

The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal girls basketball team had no issues with the Freeman Academy/Marion Bearcats on Thursday, February 4th. The Cardinals won their tenth game of the season after beating the Bearcats 50-19.

St Mary jumped out to a 10-2 lead early in the first quarter and led 14-7 at the break. The Cardinals then went on a 17-0 run to start the second quarter and never looked back. St Mary led 35-12 at halftime and 46-15 at the end of the third quarter.

Three players finished in double figures in a balanced scoring attack for the Cardinals. Ella Heinitz had 12 points, three assists, and two rebounds. Ella Griffin finished with 10 points and five rebounds. Madala Hanson also had 10 points along with two assists and two steals. Addyson Gilbert and Karlie Klein both had four points each. Sydney Klein finished with a team-high nine rebounds.

The Cardinals shot 36% (20-56) from the field, 26% (6-23) from three-point area, and 57% (4-7) from the free-throw line. The Bearcats finished 25% (8-32) from the field, 0-4 from three-point area, and 3-6 from the free-throw line. St Mary also held the turnover advantage at 8 to 21 and the rebounding advantage at 32 to 17.

St Mary (10-4) will travel to Arlington on Monday, February 8th.

Five St Mary Seniors Sign to Play College Sports

February 5, 2021 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

For a smaller class B sized school, having one or two student-athletes move on to play college athletics is a celebrated accomplishment. Dell Rapids St Mary will have at least five athletes participate in college athletics from the 2021 graduating class. This is the most for St Mary from one class since 2004, which had nine athletes play college sports.

St Mary Athletic Director Casey Michel said, “It’s great to see our kids continuing their athletic careers at the next level. This class, and these five in particular, have spent a lot of time and effort getting themselves to this point, and it’s great to see them rewarded for their dedication. Since I’ve been at St. Mary, we’ve had three total students pursuing college athletics, so to have five from one class is pretty special and has been great to be a part of. I know these five will represent St. Mary well!

Ella Heinitz, Max Herber, Connor Libis, Sam Palmer, and Ashaun Roach-Valandra all held a signing ceremony at Dell Rapids St Mary High School on Wednesday, February 3rd.

Heinitz will be attending Augustanta University and will be running track. Palmer and Herber both signed with Mount Marty to play basketball. Libis will be playing basketball at Briar Cliff. Roach-Valandra signed to play football at the University of Sioux Falls.

Photo taken and used with permission by Lee Palmer

Another Second Quarter Rally Sparks Win for Cardinal Boys

February 5, 2021 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Photo taken and used with permission by Tammy Chamley

For the second game in a row the Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal boys used a second quarter rally to spark a win. The Cardinals went on a 15-0 run to start the second quarter against Lake Preston Divers to help them to a 79-56 win on Thursday, February 4th.

The game was fairly even for the other three quarters of the game. St Mary had a slim two-point lead after the first quarter at 15-13. The Cardinals, after their 15-0 run to start the second quarter, pushed the lead to 30-13. The first half ended with St Mary leading 39-21.

The Cardinals were able to extend their lead to 25 points in the third quarter at 52-27. The Divers went on a 10-0 run of their own and cut the lead to 52-37. St Mary entered the fourth quarter leading 56-38. The Cardinals maintained their lead and outscored Lake Preston 23-18 in the final quarter.

St Mary shot 42% (29-69) from the field, 32% (10-31) from three-point area, and 65% (11-17) from the free-throw line. Lake Preston was 32% (19-60) from the field, 6% (1-18) from three-point area, and 71% (17-24) from the free-throw line. The Cardinals out-rebounded the Divers 39-33 and forced 18 turnovers.

Four players finished in double figures for the Cardinals. Connor Libis had 25 points, five assists, four rebounds, and two steals. Ashaun Roach-Valandra had 15 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. John Pica had 12 points and eight rebounds, and Sam Palmer finished with 12 points, five steals, four blocks, three assists, and two rebounds.

The Cardinals (12-3) will travel to Arlington on Monday, February 8th for their next game.

Flandreau Offense Hot in Win over Quarrier Boys

February 3, 2021 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Photo taken and used with permission by Tammy Chamley

The Flandreau Flier offense simply couldn’t be stopped on Tuesday, February 2nd. Flandreau shot 65% (33-51) from the field, 63% (10-16) from three-point area, and a perfect 3-3 from the free-throw line in a 79-67 win over the Dell Rapids Quarriers.

The Fliers got hot to start the game and kept it going from start to finish. Flandreau led by as many as eight points in the first quarter and ended the quarter leading 21-14. The lead was back to eight points at 28-20 with 5:00 to play in the first half, but the Quarriers went on a 7-0 run to pull within a point at 28-27 over the next minute. That was as close as Dell Rapids would get.

Flandreau went on a 13-0 run in three and a half minutes and end the first half leading 41-30. The Fliers pushed the lead to 17 points in the third quarter, but Dell Rapids got it down to 14 at 62-48 heading into the fourth quarter. The Quarriers got the lead down to single digits at 71-63 with 3:35 to go in the game, but Flandreau went on an 8-0 over the next two minutes to secure the victory.

Dell Rapids finished the game shooting 48% (24-50) from the field, 44% (8-18) from three-point area and 92% (11-12) from the free-throw line.

Brayden Pankonen had 21 points in the game. Connor Rentz finished with 16 points and three rebounds. Colin Rentz had 13 points, four rebounds, and three steals. Chase LeBrun led Flandreau, and all scorers, with 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Liam Streitz had 20 points and six rebounds. Tash Lunday finished with 17 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

Dell Rapids (9-4) will travel to Tri-Valley on Thursday, February 4th.

Flandreau Defense Leads to Win over Quarrier Girls

February 3, 2021 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Photo taken and used with permission by Tammy Chamley

Playing on back-to-back nights, the Dell Rapids Quarriers ran into a tough defensive Flandreau Fliers on Tuesday, February 2nd. Flandreau took advantage of 25 Dell Rapids turnovers, winning the game 67-46 in Flandreau.

The Quarriers held a four-point lead very early in the game. Mady Vanoverbeke made back-to-back three-point shots, and Dell Rapids led 6-2 with 6:40 to go in the first quarter. The two teams were tied 11-11 with 2:00, but Flandreau held a 15-13 lead at the quarter break. The Quarriers opened the second quarter on a 5-2 run and led again, 18-17, with 6:30 left in the half. Flandreau then got hot from three-point area, going 4-4 in the quarter, and held a 36-26 halftime lead.

The Flier defense then shut the Quarrier offense down in third quarter. Dell Rapids was held to just seven points, and Flandreau built a 53-33 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Fliers maintained that big of a lead throughout the final quarter.

Dell Rapids finished the game shooting 33% (17-52) from the field, 23% (6-26) from three-point area, and just 40% (6-15) from the free-throw line. Flandreau shot 44% (27-61) from the field, 38% (6-16) from three-point area, and 50% (7-14) from the free-throw line.

Jayme Schmidt had 15 points to lead the Quarriers in scoring. Vanoverbeke added 13 points, five rebounds, and three steals. Haileigh Barnhart finished with seven points and 10 rebounds. Three players finished in double figures for Flandreau. Claire Sheppard had 21 points and five rebounds. Maria Parsley added 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Bella Pavlis had 10 points and five rebounds.

Dell Rapids (3-12) will travel to Tri-Valley High School on Thursday, February 4th.

Balanced Scoring Leads West Central over Tri-Valley Boys

February 3, 2021 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

West Central had five players finished in double figures as the Trojans defeated the Tri-Valley Mustangs 71-62 on Tuesday, February 2nd, in Hartford.

The Trojans were able to slowly build a lead in the first half of the game. West Central led 12-8 after the first quarter and then pushed that lead to nine points at 34-25 by halftime. The momentum carried into the third quarter as the Trojans led by as many as 20, 53-33, late in the third quarter. Tri-Valley finished the quarter on a 5-1 run and trailed 54-38 heading into the fourth quarter. The Mustangs mounted a rally and got the game within single digits at 68-60 with :55 to play, but time ran out for the Mustangs as the Trojans held on for the win.

West Central shot 48% (24-50) from the field, 35% (8-23) from three-point area, but just 52% (15-29) from the free-throw line. Tri-Valley, meanwhile, shot 51% (20-39) from the field, 39% (7-18) from three-point area, and 71% (15-21) from the free-throw line. The Trojans out-rebounded Tri-Valley 30-23 in the game and held the advantage on turnovers at 11 to 18.

Wilson Droge had 13 points and five rebounds for the Trojans. Hunter Hagerty had 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Derrick Eich also had 11 points. Kasan Abedi finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, five steals, and five assists. Derek Eidsness also had 10 points, along with four rebounds.

Tri-Valley was led by Tyler Johnson with 27 points and four rebounds. Nick Hass had 17 points and three rebounds. Bryce Kienast had eight points, three rebounds, and three assists, and Riley Haynes had six points and nine rebounds.

West Central (8-5) will host Tea Area on Thursday, February 4th. Tri-Valley (6-7) will host Dell Rapids on Thursday, February 4th.

West Central Girls Pull Away from Tri-Valley in Second Half

February 3, 2021 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The West Central Trojans used a 40-28 scoring advantage in the second half to pull away from the Tri-Valley Mustangs and get a 67-51 win in Hartford on Tuesday, February 2nd.

The Trojans took the early lead in the first four minutes of the game. They lead 10-4, but the Mustangs ended the first quarter on a 9-2 run to lead 13-12 at the quarter break. West Central was able to regain the lead in the second quarter and took a four-point advantage into the locker room at halftime, 27-23.

West Central slowly pulled away from the Mustangs in the second half. They outscored Tri-Valley 20-10 in the third quarter to lead 47-33 heading into the final quarter. They then outscored the Mustangs 20-18 in the final quarter for the win.

Tri-Valley finished the game shooting just 27% (12-45) from the field and 35% (9-26) from the three-point area. The Mustangs took advantage of their trips to the free-throw line, going 18-26 in the game. West Central shot 45% (25-55) from the field, 36% (8-22) from three-point area, and 69% (9-13) from the free-throw line.

Three players finished in double figures for West Central. Cassidy Siemonsma had the big game with 34 points and eight rebounds. Addy Kramer had 14 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. Cambell Fischer had 10 points and five rebounds. Rylee Haldeman finished with four points, seven steals, five assists, and three rebounds.

Tri-Valley was led by Tabor Teel with 14 points, seven rebounds, and three steals. Kaitlyn Mohnen had nine points. Paige Jewett had eight points and three rebounds. Blayne Gacke ended with seven points and four rebounds, and Steph Buchmann had six points, eight rebounds, and three assists.

West Central (12-2) will host Madison on Friday, February 5th. Tri-Valley (6-7) will host Dell Rapids on Thursday, February 4th.

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