The #4 seed Tri-Vally Mustangs got a come-from-behind win in the opening round of the Region 3A tournament at home on Tuesday, February 22nd.  The McCook Central/Montrose Fighting Cougars led for a lot of the game, but the Mustangs got the win 55-52 to advance to the next round.

The Cougars started the game on an 8-0 run in the first minute and a half.  The Mustangs responded with a 9-2 run and trailed 10-9 with 1:15 to play in the opening quarter.  The Cougars got the final four points of the quarter and lead 14-9 at the break.  McCook Central/Montrose led 25-17 late in the second quarter, but the Mustangs scored the final six points, including a buzzer-beater by Paige Jewett to cut the lead to 25-23 at halftime.

The run continued for Tri-Valley into the third quarter.  They scored the first four points to lead 27-25 with 6:45 to play in the quarter.  The Cougars, however, went on a 5-0 run in 35 seconds to regain the lead 30-27.  The two teams battled back-and-forth the remainder of the quarter, and the Cougars led 37-35 going into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter was full of excitement.  Lauren Grinde made a three pointer with 6:00 to go in the game to give Tri-Valley a 40-39 lead.  For the next five minutes, the two teams traded baskets and the game went back and forth.  Jewett made two free throws with :33 on the clock to give the Mustangs a 51-47 lead.  The lead remained four points until a McCook Central/Montrose made a three point shot with :06 to make the score 53-52.  Grinde made two free throws with :02 to go to seal the victory for Tri-Valley.

The Mustangs shot 38% (19-50) in the game, 22% (4-18) on three pointers, and 62% (13-21) from the free-throw line.  McCook Central/Montrose finished the game shooting 39% (18-46) from the field, 29% (4-14) from three-point area, and 57% (12-21) from the free-throw line.

Grinde had a team-high 16 points and eight rebounds.  Jewett finished with 15 points, three assists, and two rebounds.  Ava Pearson added 10 points and six rebounds.  Stephanie Buchmann and Hillary Hastings both had six points each.  Buchmann also had five assists and three rebounds.

Tri-Valley will get to play West Central in a SoDak 16 Qualifying game on Thursday, February 24th at 6:30 p.m. at Harrisburg High School.

The Tri-Valley Mustang girls didn’t feel the love from the hoop against the McCook Cental/Montrose Fighting Cougars on Monday, February 14th.  The Mustangs shot just 25% (15-61) from the field and 20% (4-20) from three-point area in a 42-49 loss in their final regular season game.

The Cougars got out to a 9-2 lead in the first quarter and never trailed from that point.  The Mustangs did get within a point a couple of times in the game, but couldn’t take the lead.  McCook Central/Montrose led 13-6 at the end of the first quarter and 26-20 at halftime.

The Mustangs got within a point in the third quarter, 28-27, but the Cougars ended the quarter on a 7-0 run for a 35-27 lead going into the fourth quarter.  Tri-Valley pulled within two points, 39-37, with 3:00 to play and had multiple chances to tie the game, but couldn’t get the shots to fall.  The Mustangs did get within a point, 40-39, after two free throws by Lauren Grinde with 1:35 to go, but the Cougars scored their final nine points from the free-throw line to hang on for the win.

Paige Jewett had 15 points and two rebounds.  Grinde finished with nine points, nine rebounds, two steals, and two assists.  Ava Pearson added seven points, six rebounds, and four blocked shots.  Mattie Huwe had six points, two rebounds, and two steals.  Stephanie Buchmann had three points, seven rebounds, and five assists.

Tri-Valley’s regular season ends with an 11-9 record.  The Mustangs will begin Region 3A play on Tuesday, February 22nd.

The Tri-Valley Mustang girls have won their last two games.  The Mustangs traveled to Lennox to play the Orioles on Thursday, February 10th and came home with a 49-47 victory.  Tri-Valley then hosted the Milbank Bulldogs on Saturday, February 12th, winning 46-36.

Tri-Valley 49, Lennox 47

Ava Pearson grabbed an offensive rebound and hit the game-winning put back with :08 to go to give the Mustangs a 49-47 win in a back and forth game.  The two teams battled all game long, trading leads throughout the game.

Lennox had the lead at the first quarter break at 13-10.  Tri-Valley took the lead at halftime by outscoring the Orioles 12-7.  The Mustangs had a 22-20 lead at halftime.  Lennox had the advantage again at the end of this quarter, but this time only by a point, 36-35.  The Orioles pushed their lead to five points, 44-39, with 5:00 to go in the game.  Tri-Valley went on a 5-0 over the next :45 to tie the game 44-44.  Lennox led 46-45 with 2:30 to play, but Pearson made a layup to give the Mustangs a 47-46 lead.  After the Orioles tied the game 47-47, the next basket in the game was Pearson’s game winner.

The Mustangs shot 46% (19-41) from the field, 46% (6-13) from three-point area, and 3-6 from the free-throw line.  Lennox finished shooting 39% (16-41), 37% (7-19) on three pointers, and 8-12 from the free-throw line.

Pearson had 14 points, 10 rebounds, and an assist.  Lauren Grinde finished with 10 points, six rebounds, and two steals.  Paige Jewett had nine points, three rebounds, an assist, and a steal.  Stephanie Buchmann had seven points and two assists.  Hillary Hastings added six points, five rebounds, and two assists.

Tri-Valley 46, Milbank 36

The Mustangs turned a 20-20 tie at halftime into a 10-point win thanks to a big third quarter on Saturday against the Bulldogs.  Tri-Valley trailed 11-7 at the end of the first quarter, but rallied to tie Milbank by halftime.  The Mustangs then outscored Milbank 13-5 in the third quarter to build a 33-25 lead heading into the fourth quarter.  The Mustangs then outscored the Bulldogs 13-11 in the final quarter in the win.

Tri-Valley finished shooting 35% (15-43) from the field, 31% (5-16) from three-point area, and 69% (11-16) from the free-throw line.  Milbank was 30% (14-47) shooting, just 1-8 on three pointers, and 7-12 from the free-throw line.  The Mustangs also forced 21 Milbank turnovers.

Grinde had 15 points, four rebounds, and six steals.  Jewett also had 15 points and four rebounds.  Buchmann finished with nine points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals.  Pearson added five points, four rebounds, and four blocked shots.

Tri-Valley (11-8) will wrap their regular season on the road at McCook Central/Montrose on Monday, February 14th.

The Tri-Valley Mustangs were only down seven to the Sioux Falls Christian Changers at the end of the first quarter, 21-14, on Tuesday, February 8th.  The Chargers’ aggressive defense, however, held Tri-Valley to just 25 points over the remaining three quarters in a 71-39 win.

The Mustangs were held to just seven points in the second quarter, and they trailed 38-21 at halftime.  Tri-Valley got another 14 points in the third quarter, but the Charger offense was able to score 21 points as they extended their lead to 59-35.  The Chargers outscored Tri-Valley 12-4 in the final quarter.

Tri-Valley finished the game shooting 33% (14-42) overall, 20% (4-20) from three-point area, and 7-9 from the free-throw line.  Sioux Falls Christian was 56% (27-48) shooting, 42% (5-12) on three pointers, and 60% (12-20) from the free-throw line.

Lauren Grinde had 15 points and two rebounds to lead the Mustangs.  Paige Jewett finished with eight points, four rebounds, and three assists.  Ava Pearson added six points, three rebounds, and two blocks.  Stephanie Buchmann had five points and three assists.