In one of the most anticipated games of the 2nd Annual Sacred Hoops Classic in Mitchell on Saturday, January 2nd, the undefeated West Central Trojan girls played the undefeated White River Tigers. The game matched all of the hype leading to the game.
Neither team was able to get a sizeable advantage during the game, and it all game down to a shot at the buzzer. Unfortunately for the Trojans, the winning basket came at the hands of Caelyn Valandra-Prue as the Tigers won the game 62-60.
Each team held a lead at the different quarter breaks. West Central had the first quarter break leading 17-15 at the end of the first quarter. White River was able to grab a four-point lead at halftime of 37-33.
The Trojans took the lead again in the third quarter, and pushed the lead to 47-42 with just over two minutes to play in the third quarter. White River ended the quarter on a 4-0 run, and the Trojans led 47-46 heading into the final quarter. Both teams traded leads in the fourth quarter.
Addy Kramer made her seventh three-point basket with 1:41 to go in the game to give West Central a 60-58 lead. The Tigers tied the game at the free-throw line with 1:06 to play. Both teams had an opportunity to take the lead in the final minute, but it was the shot of Valandra-Prue as the buzzer sounded that won the game for the Tigers.
West Central finished the game shooting 41% (23-56) from the field, 42% (11-26) from three-point area, and just 3-10 from the foul line. The free-throw line is where White River held a huge advantage. The Tigers finished the game 22-27 for 81%.
Kramer, who was named the game’s MVP for West Central, finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Rylee Haldeman had 14 points and nine assists. Cassidy Siemonsma had 13 points and six rebounds.