The Newell Lady Irrigators (3–4) edged the Lead-Deadwood Golddiggers (—) 57–53 in overtime Tuesday night, powered by a game‑high 17 points from freshman Evelyn Ahart and 15 from senior Rachel Stransberg. The win gives Newell a 6–5 lead in the series.
Lead-Deadwood forced overtime in dramatic fashion. Trailing 45–43 with 11 seconds left, the Golddiggers created a turnover, and sophomore center Henessey Mattson scored the tying layup. But foul trouble loomed large: two Newell starters and three Lead-Deadwood starters fouled out by the end of regulation.
Both teams opened slowly, with neither scoring until midway through the first quarter. Newell’s full‑court press caused early turnovers, but Lead-Deadwood responded in the second quarter behind junior guard Atty Eastman, who finished with 10 points.
Newell surged in the third, building a six‑point lead as the Golddiggers struggled offensively. Lead-Deadwood regained momentum in the fourth, dominating the paint and the boards, but free‑throw shooting proved costly — the Golddiggers went 5‑for‑14 from the line from the fourth quarter onward.
In overtime, Lead-Deadwood ran out of depth as Eastman and leading scorer Isabell Wiegand (11 points) both fouled out. Newell capitalized with timely perimeter shooting from Stransberg and steady scoring from Ahart to seal the win.
Newell’s scoring: Ahart 17, Stransberg 15, Kaitlyn Shaykett 8, Kendra Johnson 7, Bristol Bachman 6, Sam High 4.
Lead-Deadwood’s scoring: Wiegand 11, Eastman 10, Ava Uvelstad 9, Mattson 6, Nikiah Black 5, Ava Bertrand 5, Seeley Fuller 2.
Newell travels to Tiospaye Topa on Friday. Lead-Deadwood heads to New Underwood for a matchup with the Tigers.
Rewatch HERE: https://www.youtube.com/live/CXlSslG4JHU?si=-pyrF87PC75qoxVq
