The West Central Trojan girls placed sixth at the 2026 South Dakota State A Tournament held in Watertown Thursday, March 12th through Saturday, March 14th. The Trojans played against Mahpiya Luta, Wagner, and Sioux Valley.
Mahpiya Luta 65, West Central 42
West Central faced #2 Mahpiya Luta in the opening round on Thursday. Mahpiya Luta opened the game with an 8-0 run. The Trojans would score the final three points of the quarter to cut the lead to 12-7. They continued their run into the second quarter and took a 17-15 lead with 4:15 left in the half. Mahpiya Luta responded with a 12-3 run for a 27-20 halftime lead. They would pull away throughout the third quarter to take a 49-30 lead into the fourth quarter.
West Central shot 29% (12-41) from the field overall, 36% (4-11) on three-point attempts, and 58% (14-24) from the free-throw line. Mahpiya Luta was 39% (24-62) shooting overall, 25% (7-28) on three-point shots, and 83% (10-12) from the free-throw line.
Kacey Jaton had 14 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Mackenzie Skonhovd added nine points. Abbi Thornton ended with seven points, three rebounds, and two steals. Ellie Knight had six points, four assists, and five steals.
West Central 46, Wagner 38
On the second day of the tournament, the Trojans got a win over the Wagner Red Raiders to advance to the consolation championship game. The Trojans built an early 6-4 led and then went on an 11-0 run to push the lead to 11-4. They led 19-8 at the end of the first quarter. Wagner cut the lead down to 22-16 with 4:57 left in the first half, but the Trojans ended the half on a 13-4 run for a 35-20 halftime lead. The Red Raiders again rallied and got within eight points, 40-32, with 2:19 to play in the third quarter. The Trojans pushed their lead back to double digits, 44-32, going into the fourth quarter. Wagner got the lead down to six points, 45-39, with 3:33 left in the game. Jaton scored the final point of the game, a free throw with :05 to go in the game.
West Central shot 29% (16-55) overall, 43% (9-21) from three-point area, and 63% (5-8) from the free-throw line. Wagner finished the game shooting 32% (12-37) overall, 22% (4-18) on three-point attempts, and 91% (10-11) from the free-throw line.
Jaton had 16 points, five rebounds, two steals, and two assists. Skonhovd added 11 points, two rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Knight also had double figures with 10 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and five steals. Thornton ended with six points, four rebounds, and three assists.
Sioux Valley 63, West Central 61
The Cossacks held off the Trojans in the consolation championship on Saturday to give West Central sixth place in the tournament. The two teams traded leads early in the first quarter. After a 7-7 tie, Sioux Valley went on a 10-2 run for a 17-9 lead. The Trojans cut the lead to 19-14 by the end of the first quarter. Sioux Valley extended their lead to 10 points, 28-18, with 4:54 left in the half. They maintained their lead through the rest of the quarter to a 36-29 halftime score.
The Trojans started the second half with a 9-2 run to tie the score 38-38 with 5:34 to go in the third quarter. Sioux Valley would regain the lead, but led by just one point, 45-44, going into the fourth quarter. They would push that advantage to 53-44 with 6:06 to go in the game. The Trojans fought back to within a point, 57-56, with 1:41 to go. The Cossacks, however, would hold off the Trojans for the 63-61 win.
Knight finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Jaton also had 20 points and seven rebounds and also had three steals. Skonhovd ended with seven points and four assists. Ayla Kramer had six points.
Kacey Jaton was named to the All-Tournament team. The Trojans had a 19-6 overall record on the year.
