Dak-12 foes, the West Central Trojans and Lennox Orioles, met in the opening round of the 2025 South Dakota State A Boys Basketball tournament in Sioux Falls on Thursday, March 20th. The Orioles held off the Trojans in the fourth quarter to advance with a 51-43 victory.
The first quarter started with a back-and-fourth battle, but Lennox ended the quarter with a slim 11-9 lead. The Orioles gained some momentum in the second quarter, outscoring the Trojans 15-12, to take a 26-21 lead into halftime. Lennox was able to extend their lead in the third quarter. They held a 42-32 lead going into the fourth quarter. West Central mounted a rally in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to three points, 44-41, after a three-point basket by Will Kuhl and made field goal by Connor Mebius with 4:14 to play. Lennox’s defense, however, held strong, and the Orioles made their free throws late in the game to hold for the win.
West Central shot 27.1% (16-59) overall, 28.6% (6-21) from three-point area, and 62.5% (5-8) from the free-throw line. Lennox finished the game shooting 42.2% (19-45) overall, 35.7% (5-14) on three-point shots, and 44.4% (8-18) from the free-throw line.
Mebius finished with 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Kuhl ended with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. Boche Knight had six points, and Kolte Garry had three points and three rebounds.
