Anissa Martin receives the prestigious Spirit of Su award while Coach Laura Big Crow lends her support.
Shaylene Richard
Lady Thorpes battle to the end
By Joseph Budd
Native Sun News Correspondent WATERTOWN – Pine Ridge’s Lady Thorpes picked up two quick wins but that third one would simply be out of reach for a championship. Playing for their first title since 2009, the Lady Thorpes, comprised of Anissa Martin, Shaniah and Shaylene Richard, Jolonna Sazue, Santana White Dress and several other teammates would all rise to the occasion, first dispatching a local squad in Chamberlain and then upend West Central. However, against Harrisburg, the team started out in an early hole, that they never truly got out of. In the first game, against Chamberlain, the team slowly but methodically walked away from the Cubs, first with a three point lead, then a seven point lead at the half, 19 to 12. They would turn it on in the second half, with a final of 55-34, behind 12 points from Shaylene Richard and 10 from Sazue. Most notably in this first contest, was that the Lady Thorpes only turned the ball over 9 times, while the Cubs would lose the ball 21 times. In the second matchup, West Central was quickly put in a 10-point hole early, with a 15-5 first period. Pine Ridge would extend this lead out to 13 at the half, a 33-20 advantage, before allowing the West Central squad to outscore the Lady Thorpes 11-15, before Pine Ridge would shut the door, for a 63-53 advantage. For the team, Sazue would pick up 15 points, while Richard would add in 14 of her own, then 12 from Santana White Dress. The win would put the girls into a contest for the Class A title in South Dakota. As it was, Harrisburg had also lost only a single game in their season, dropping one to Class AA Sioux Falls O’Gorman, while the Lady Thorpes had their own single loss to Todd County, near the mid-point of the season. Their trip at the state tournament included an 8 point win over SF Christian, a 10 point win over Aberdeen Roncalli, for the right to play for the tournament title. Early on, it was obvious how the plans would work for both squads…Pine Ridge would find them down early, and in foul trouble for several key players on the Lady Thorpes squad didn’t help matters. Pine Ridge would be outscored 6-0, before getting their first basket from Sazue, then wouldn’t score again until the score was 2-9, when Sazue would drop in a three pointer. Richard, breaking through with a basket when the score was 5-14 would cut the lead to 7, the two teams would each score one more basket before the first period would end, reflecting the 9-16 score, with three Pine Ridge players scoring all the points. Into the second period, the Thorpes would see more attempts, but both teams would go cold until the 6:34 mark, when Shaylene Richard would hit two free throws, then the teams would trade three pointers before the five minute mark, with Anissa Martin hitting the three, cutting the lead down to five points. However it would be almost 2 minutes before Pine Ridge would score again, Harrisburg would go on a 7-0 run, making it 14-26, before Sazue would hit one of two free throws. Pine Ridge would close back to 11 down, 19-30, before two free throws right before the half would help Harrisburg put the Lady Tigers up by 13. During the halftime intermission, Anissa Martin would be named as the winner of the Spirit of Su award, given at each Class tournament…a great honor for the outgoing senior for the Lady Thorpes…Congrats! If two things didn’t help the Lady Thorpes in the first half, was the shooting percentage…but it also had a lot to do with fact that White Dress and Lynette Bettelyoun were both flagged early with three fouls, rendering their participation to little or none…Bettelyoun and Shaylene Richard would both foul out, while Sazue would finish with four fouls. She would be under pressure all night long, hitting only 3 baskets against 16 attempts all game long. Usually one of her teammates would be able to pick up the slack, but with White Dress and Richard both dealing also in foul trouble, the team would be hard-pressed to rebound. In the second half, the Lady Thorpes would actually outscore the Harrisburg team, 11-7 and cutting the lead to 30-39, for a touch of hope. However, while Pine Ridge would score 19 points in the fourth, Harrisburg would score 25, to close out the game 49-64. The Lady Thorpes would see a strong finish in the game from Anissa Martin, who would hit four three pointers for 12 points, while Sazue would score 11 points total. Two Lady Thorpes would be named to the All-Tournament team, with Sazue and Shaylene Richard both being named. For these girls, the team next year will be missing Martin, Sazue, Shaniah Richard, T’Keyah Rondeau and Justina LeBeau. However the squad will see one more season out of Santana White Dress, two more years from Mariah Bravo and Lynette Bettelyoun. Shaylene Richard is only a 9th grader, so the future holds some good promise. Congrats to the Lady Thorpes for reaching the state tournament and congrats to Coach Laura Big Crow for an excellent season! (Contact Joseph Budd at joseph@rapidnet.com) Copyright permission by Native Sun News
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