The game between #2 West Central and #4 Sioux Falls Christian in Region 3 and Class A girls basketball was everything as expected.  The game was back and forth all night long and came down to a last-second shot.  The Chargers got the last second shot to fall, and Sioux Falls Christian ended the winning streak of West Central with a 60-57 win on Monday, January 25th in Sioux Falls.

Sioux Falls Christian had the upper hand in the first quarter and built a 16-10 lead at the break.  The Trojans then took momentum in the second quarter and put up 21 points as they took the lead 31-30 at halftime.

West Central was able to built upon that lead in the third quarter and was leading 48-43 heading into the fourth.  The lead grew to seven points at 50-43 with 7:00 to go.  The Chargers cut the lead to two points at 50-48, but West Central responded with a 5-1 run push the lead to 55-49 with 4:12 remaining.  West Central lead 57-54 with 3:05 to play and was held scoreless the rest of the game.  Maddie DeJong of Sioux Falls Christian made the game winning three-pointer with :02 to go for the win.

Cassidy Siemonsma finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists.  Rylee Haldeman had 12 points and seven rebounds.  Addy Kramer added 10 points, six rebounds, and three assists.

The Trojans (10-2) will travel to Vermillion on Tuesday, January 26th.

The West Central Trojan girls basketball team on their sixth game in a row and tenth overall after a 58-29 win over the Lennox Orioles in Lennox on Thursday, January 21st.

The defenses for both teams made things difficult on the offensive side of the ball in the first quarter.  The two teams combined for just 13 points as West Central led 9-4 at the quarter break.  West Central got into the offensive groove in the second quarter putting up 16 points while holding Lennox to nine for a 25-13 lead at halftime.

The Trojans then opened up the game in the third quarter.  Rylee Haldeman scored the first five points of the third quarter as the Trojans lead grew to 30-13 in the first minute of the second half.  That lead continued to grow in the third quarter as West Central held Lennox to just four points in the quarter for a 48-17 lead heading into the final quarter.  Lennox held a 12-10 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter.

West Central shot the ball well again.  They finished shooting 48% (21-44) from the field, 38% (8-21) from three-point area, and 89% (8-9) from the free-throw line.  The Trojans had 25 team rebounds and only turned the ball over seven times.

Four players finished in double figures.  Cassidy Siemonsma had 13 points and four rebounds.  Haldeman had 12 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals.  Josslin Jarding had 11 points and six rebounds.  Abby Kramer added 11 points and five rebounds.

West Central (10-1) will play Sioux Falls Christian in Sioux Falls in a big Class A and Region 3 girls match-up on Monday, January 25th.

Playing on back-to-back nights, the West Central Trojans had no trouble with the Dell Rapids Quarriers in a 55-19 victory in Dell Rapids on Tuesday, January 19th.  The win was the fifth straight for the Trojans.

West Central scored the first 19 points of the game and led 21-1 after the first quarter.  They continued to roll in the second quarter and led 34-3 at halftime.  The Trojans then outscored the Quarriers 21-16 in the final two quarters.

The Trojans forced 22 turnovers and had 16 steals.  They also out rebounded Dell Rapids 43-21 in the game.  The Trojans finished the game shooting 36% (20-56) from the field, 35% (6-17) from three-point area, and 60% (9-15) from the free-throw line.

Addy Kramer had a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds.  Cassidy Siemonsma finished with 13 points and eight rebounds.  Josslin Jarding had eight points, and Rylee Haldeman had seven points, five assists, four steals, and  four rebounds.

The Trojans (9-1) will be in Lennox on Thursday, January 21st.

The West Central Trojan girls basketball team won their fourth straight game after a hard-fought road win against the Crofton Warriors 58-53.  This is the second four-game winning streak for the Trojans.

West Central gained early momentum in the game.  They got out to an eight-point lead, 19-11, by the end of the first quarter.  They were able to maintain about that same lead throughout the second quarter.  The Trojans led 30-23 at halftime.

The Warriors started chipping away at the lead in the third quarter.  The Warriors got the lead down to one point at 43-42 by the end of the third quarter.  Crofton then opened the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run for a 49-43 lead with 5:30 to play in the game.  The Trojans responded with their own 7-0 run to regain the lead 50-49.  The game was tied 50-50 with 2:45 to play before the Trojans went on a 6-0 run for a 56-50 advantage with 1:20 to go.  West Central was able to closed out the game for the win.

The Trojans finished the game shooting 43% (22-51) from the field, 36% (5-14) from three-point area, and 47% (9-19) from the free-throw line.

Cassidy Siemonsma had 18 points and 12 rebounds.  Molli Thornton finished with 12 points, four rebounds, and two steals.  Jada Vanoverbeke had eight points.  Rylee Haldeman also had eight points along with six assists, three steals, and two rebounds.  Josslin Jarding had seven points and six rebounds, while Addy Kramer had five points and five rebounds.

The Trojans (8-1) will travel to Dell Rapids to play the Quarriers on Tuesday, January 19th.

The West Central Trojan girls basketball team continues to show everyone why they are one of the teams to beat in Class A in 2020-2021.  The Trojans got another big win, this time over Dak-12 foe Dakota Valley, at home on Tuesday, January 12th.  The Trojans defeated the Panthers 59-47.

The score was a little closer than the game really was.  After a three-point first quarter that saw West Central have a 14-11 lead, the Trojans tore through the second and third quarters.  West Central went on a 9-4 run in the first half of the second quarter for a 25-15 lead and ended the second quarter leading 31-19.  The Trojans then built a 25-point lead by the midway point of the third quarter at 46-21.  Dakota Valley made a run in the later stages of the third quarter and early parts of the fourth quarter.  They outscored the Trojans 19-2 to get within eight points at 48-40 with 5:45 to play.  West Central ended the comeback bid there and ended the game on a 11-7 advantage.

West Central finished the game shooting 45% (24-53) from the field, 32% (7-22) from three-point area, but just 4-9 from the free-throw line.  The Trojans also out rebounded Dakota Valley 33-24 in the game and only turned the ball over 10 times.

Addy Kramer finished the night with 21 points, six rebounds, and five assists.  Cassidy Siemonsma had 16 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocked shots.  Rylee Haldeman had nine points and three assists.

The Trojans (7-1) will travel to Crofton, NE on Thursday, January 14th.

In a very physical game, the West Central Trojan girls defeated the Tea Area Titans on Thursday, January 7th by a score of 71-56.  It was the second straight win and fifth overall this season at home.

The game was close and back-and-forth through the first three quarters of play.  The two teams ended the first quarter tied 15-15.  The Trojans were able to take a one-point lead into halftime, 27-26.  West Central built on their slim lead in the third quarter and took a 46-43 into the final quarter.

The Trojans opened the quarter on a 9-0 run to go ahead 55-43 with 5:45 to play.  They continued to pull away from the Titans outscoring them 25-13 for the victory.

West Central finished the game shooting 50% (24-48) from the field, 54% (7-13) from three-point area, and 73% (16-22) from the free-throw line.  The Trojans out-rebounded the Titans 33-27 in the game.

Three players finished in double figures.  Cassidy Siemonsma had 22 points and nine rebounds.  Molli Thornton had 19 points, three steals, and two assists.  Rylee Haldeman finished with 10 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, and four steals.  Josslin Jarding had eight points, and Addy Kramer had six points and eight rebounds.

West Central (6-1) will host Dakota Valley on Tuesday, January 12th.

Coming off a tough loss to the White River Tigers on Saturday, January 2nd, the West Central Trojan girls basketball team bounced back with a big 55-29 win over the Elk Point-Jefferson Huskies at home on Tuesday, January 5th.

The Trojan defense was the star of the game.  West Central held the Huskies scoreless in the first six minutes of the game and didn’t allow Elk Point-Jefferson’s first field goal until the second quarter.  The Trojans also had 13 steals while forcing 18 turnovers in the game.

West Central got out to a 14-0 lead in the first six minutes of the game and never looked back.  They led 20-3 after the first quarter and the lead grew to 36-13 by halftime.  The Trojans then outscored Elk Point-Jefferson 19-16 in the second half.

Eleven different players recorded at least one rebound in the game for the Trojans.  Two players finished in double figures in scoring.  Addy Kramer had 13 points, four rebounds, three steals, and three assists.  Josslin Jarding added 10 points, three rebounds, and three assists.  Rylee Haldeman also had three steals and three assists.  Cambell Fischer finished with eight points, while Molli Thornton and Jada Vanoverbeke both had six points each.  Cassidy Siemonsma had a team-high nine rebounds.

West Central (5-1) will host the Tea Area Titans on Thursday, January 7th in another big match-up for the Trojans.  West Central is ranked #2 in the latest media poll, while Tea Area is ranked #6.

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.

Playing in their third home game out of their first four of the season, the West Central Trojan girls beat another AA team on Tuesday, December 22nd.  The Trojans had no trouble with the Watertown Arrows in a 53-30 victory.

The West Central defense caused problems for Watertown all night long.  The Trojans forced 26 Arrow turnovers, with 15 of those turnovers coming on steals.  West Central also held Watertown to just 24% shooting from the field and 0-13 from three-point area.

The Trojans had the lead from the start of the game getting out to a 14-7 lead by the end of the first quarter.  The lead grew to 12 points by halftime at 24-12.  Watertown pulled within six points at 26-20 with 3:30 to play in the third quarter, but that was as close as they would get.  West Central closed out the third quarter on a 7-0 run to lead 33-20.  The Trojans then outscored Watertown 20-10 in the final quarter for the win.

West Central finished the game shooting 32% (18-56) from the field, 30% (6-20) from three-point area, and 58% (11-19) from the free-throw line.  Two players finished in double figures.  Rylee Haldeman had 12 points, seven steals, four rebounds, and three assists.  Molli Thornton also had 12 points with two rebounds.  Addy Kramer finished with eight points and nine rebounds.  Cassidy Siemonsma added eight points and six rebounds, while Josslin Jarding ended with seven points and seven rebounds.

West Central (4-0) will play White River at 6:00 p.m. in the Sacred Hoops Classic in Mitchell on Saturday, January 2nd.