It was a big night for the West Central Trojan girls basketball team on Thursday, March 3rd. The Trojans played the Crow Creek Chieftains in Madison in the SoDak 16 with the winner advancing to the state tournament. Not only did the Trojans punch their ticket to the state tournament with a 54-40 win, but Rylee Haldeman hit her 1,000 career point in the game.
It was clear from the start the Trojans were on a mission. West Central wasted no time on the offensive end of the court and started the game on a 10-0 run. That lead grew to 14 points, 24-10, at the end of the first quarter. Their defensive pressure caused problems for Crow Creek in the second quarter, and West Central built a 35-14 lead by halftime.
Things continued to go in the favor of the Trojans throughout much of the third quarter. West Central had a game-high 23 point lead, 41-18, with 2:39 to play in the quarter. Crow Creek, however, started to make a run from that point. The Chieftains ended the quarter on an 8-2 run and cut the lead to 43-26 heading into the fourth quarter. They were able to get the lead down to 13 points, 48-35, but Haldeman’s 1,000 point with 1:17 to play in the game on a layup ended the Crow Creek run and sealed the victory for the Trojans.
West Central shot 39% (19-49) from the field, 20% (5-25) on three-point shots, and 42% (11-26) from the free-throw line. Crow Creek was 25% (13-53) shooting overall, 16% (3-19) from beyond the arc, and 61% (11-18) from the free-throw line.
Two players had a double-double for the Trojans. Tabor Teel had 17 points and 12 rebounds along with four blocked shots. Addy Kramer finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds, two steals, and two assists. Haldeman’s night ended with 10 points, four assists, three rebounds, and three steals.
The Trojans will enter the 2022 South Dakota High School Class A Girls State Tournament as the #2 seed. They will play #6 Dakota Valley in the opening round at Frost Arena in Brookings on Thursday, March 10th, at 6:00 p.m.