Photo taken and used with permission by Sara Stadem
When the Dell Rapids Quarriers and Sioux Falls Christian Chargers square off in a boys basketball game, it’s almost a certainty it will be an “instant classic”. That was the case once again when the two teams met on Tuesday, January 10th at Sioux Falls Christian High School.
The Quarriers got off to a fast start and led 9-5 with 4:00 to play in the first quarter. The Chargers countered with a 12-0 run and ended the first quarter leading 17-12. Sioux Falls Christian push the lead to 12 points in the second quarter, but Dell Rapids was able to bring it down to single digits, 36-27, by halftime.
The Quarriers kept chipping away at the lead, and they had it down to four points, 43-39, with 3:45 to play in the third quarter. Britton Mulder then got hot for the Chargers. Mulder made three three-point shots in a little over a minute, and the Charger lead grew to 52-39. The Quarriers ended the third quarter on an 8-2 run, however, and cut the lead to 54-47 heading into the fourth quarter.
Dell Rapids kept working to close that gap and pulled within four points, 63-47, with 3:30 left in the game. The Chargers were held scoreless for the next three plus minutes. Rhett Kloth completed an “and one” play to pull Dell Rapids within three, 63-60. After a couple of turnovers and missed shots, Brayden Pankonen had the ball in his hands with seconds remaining. He drilled a three-pointer from the left wing with :07 to go tying the game 63-63. The Chargers were able to call a timeout with :06.5 to go. After the timeout, Mulder drove the length of the court and made a layup with :01.5 left on the clock. The Quarriers used their last timeout to try to draw up a last-second, game-winning play, but they were unable to get a clean shot. The Chargers held for a 65-63 win.
Pankonen finished with 32 points, six assists, and two rebounds. Kloth added 11 points, nine rebounds, and two blocked shots. Jack Henry had nine points and eight rebounds. Tad Tjaden finished with six points, four rebounds, two blocked shots, and two assists.
