SPEARFISH, S.D. — The Spearfish Spartans girls basketball team (9–5) earned a hard-fought 48–35 victory over I-90 rival Sturgis Brown on Tuesday, February 10, at Spearfish High School.
A cold-shooting first half kept the contest tight, but the Spartans came alive after the break, outscoring the Scoopers 27–16 over the final two quarters to pull away.
Senior Kate Scharf led the charge with a game-high 25 points on 9-of-19 shooting, including five three-pointers. After starting just 2-of-10 from the field in the opening half, Scharf found her rhythm in the second and carried the Spartans to the finish. Seniors Adelyn Bouman and Kali Reiners provided timely perimeter shooting early, keeping Spearfish afloat until Scharf heated up.
Sturgis opened the game with a 4–0 run, but Bouman and Reiners quickly answered with back-to-back threes to give the Spartans the lead. The teams traded baskets for much of the first quarter as neither side gained separation.
Spearfish found a spark early in the second when Scharf knocked down a three to make it 13–6. Another basket from Bouman pushed the lead further, but the Scoopers responded with a rally, eventually tying the game at 15 and taking a 19–17 advantage with less than two minutes remaining in the half.
The Spartans did not panic. Scharf buried another triple, and Spearfish clamped down defensively to close the half on top, 21–19.
The third quarter proved decisive. Reiners opened the scoring with a corner three, and on the next possession Scharf connected from deep to stretch the lead to eight. Spearfish extended the margin to 12 before Sturgis answered through Leigha Long, who finished tied for the team lead with seven points alongside Kierra Killinger. Despite several Scooper pushes, the Spartans carried an eight-point cushion into the fourth.
Sturgis trimmed the deficit to five early in the final period, but Scharf delivered another dagger from beyond the arc to halt the momentum. From there, Spearfish controlled the tempo and closed out the rivalry win.
Full Statistics
Spearfish
Kate Scharf – 25 points, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 rebound; 9–19 FG, 5–11 3PT
Tiersyn Grubb – 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal; 3–5 FG, 2–2 FT
Adelyn Bouman – 5 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 rebound; 2–7 FG, 1–5 3PT, 0–1 FT
Kali Reiners – 6 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal; 2–3 FG, 2–3 3PT
Sierra Sanford – 3 rebounds, 2 assists; 0–2 FG, 5–7 FT
Taylor Vitto – 3 rebounds, 2 assists; 0–1 FG
Finley Bouman – 1 steal; 0–3 FG, 0–2 3PT
Anna Eisenbarth – 0–2 FG, 0–1 3PT
Team Totals: 16–42 FG, 8–22 3PT, 9–13 FT
Sturgis Brown
Leigha Long – 7 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal; 3–7 FG
Kierra Killinger – 7 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals; 1–2 FG
Olivia Vliem – 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals; 3–9 FG
Heath – 4 points, 1 steal; 2–4 FG
Stewart – 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal; 2–3 FG
Williams – 3 points, 1 rebound; 1–5 FG
De Haugen – 2 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist; 1–2 FG
Kossler – 2 points, 1 rebound; 1–3 FG
Team Totals: 14–35 FG, 1–9 3PT, 6–8 FT