The Spearfish Spartans used a strong second half and a season‑high performance from senior guard Kate Scharf to defeat rival Sturgis 48–35 on Tuesday night, extending their winning streak over the Scoopers to six straight games.
The matchup remained tight through the first half, with Sturgis holding a 19–18 lead late in the second quarter before Spearfish took a 21–19 advantage into halftime. The high-pressure zone defense for the Scoopers proved difficult for the Spartans to shoot against, forcing them to drive into the paint to generate offense.
The Spartans took control after the break, fueled by Scharf’s perimeter shooting and a defensive effort that limited Sturgis’ scoring opportunities.
Scharf finished with 25 points, hitting multiple three‑pointers, including a key shot early in the fourth quarter that pushed Spearfish’s lead to 41–33 and halted a Scooper comeback attempt. The Spartans outscored Sturgis 27–16 in the second half to secure the win.
Spearfish entered the night ranked No. 8 in Class AA with 40.231 seed points and remains the second‑highest‑ranked West River team behind Rapid City Stevens. Spearfish will look to keep the momentum going after back-to-back Class AA wins, with five games remaining, including a home match vs Rapid City Christian, a road trip to #1 Brandon Valley, and an always tough Harrisburg team. The Spartans have hosted two straight SoDak 16 games, winning both of them.
Sturgis fell to 4–12 with the loss and is tied with Watertown for the No. 16 seed, the final qualifying spot for the SoDak 16. The Scoopers have four winnable games remaining as they attempt to replicate last year’s late‑season surge that ended a three‑year playoff drought.
The Scoopers will take on the Hot Springs Lady Bison (4-12) on Friday, in a winnable game to possibly break a three-game losing streak to spark that late-season push.
Spearfish will travel to Custer (5-12) on Thursday, with tipoff slated for 6:00 pm. Fans can watch the contest on KDSJ-TV on YouTube and on KDSJ Radio’s Facebook Live.
Replay: https://www.youtube.com/live/aDmi3ybVYAY?si=9LUvOQSOHS7Q-RmX
