The Spearfish Spartans boys basketball team battled through two physical, momentum-swinging road contests over the weekend but came away with a pair of losses, falling to Brandon Valley on Friday and Harrisburg on Saturday.
Friday: Brandon Valley 50, Spearfish 46
Spearfish (11-3) pushed Brandon Valley (10-7) to the final buzzer in a tightly contested matchup but came up short, 50–46. Senior Bennett Kortan led the Spartans with a standout all-around performance, finishing with 19 points, four rebounds, four steals, and three assists. He was awarded our Superior Performer for the game. Mason Southern added 11 points and three assists, while Cooper Gibbs contributed eight points and six rebounds. Karsen Seyer scored five, and Kamren Davis added three points.
The Spartans’ season-leading scorer, Kade Vavruska, was held without a basket, crediting the Lynx defense for limiting the Spartans’ most productive offensive threat.
Spearfish led for three of the four quarters, including a 36-31 lead entering the fourth quarter. Despite trailing, the Lynx kept pace with the Spartans, falling behind by as much as six in the game. At the start of the fourth quarter, Brandon Valley’s Ayuel Dang started the quarter with a 5-0 run to tie the game up. Dang scored in the final 8 minutes, and he finished with 10. Lincoln McInerney contributed to the Lynx push with 6 in the final quarter, enabling the Lynx to take the lead that they never let go of.
Spearfish kept answering after falling, but couldn’t overcome Brandon Valley’s execution in the closing minutes. The Lynx were led by McInerney with 17 points and Deng with 10.
Saturday: Harrisburg 50, Spearfish 39
Spearfish (14-4) returned to the court Saturday and again found itself in another back-and-forth battle, ultimately falling 50–39 to Harrisburg (14-5). The Tigers entered the contest 6th in the Class AA standings, one place behind Spearfish, with both teams looking for a win to spark a late season push into the top 4.
The Spartans opened strong, using a 7–0 run sparked by Kamren Davis, Kortan, and Gibbs to take early control. Spearfish closed the first quarter ahead 15–8, with three pointers from Kade Vavruska and Seyer helping build the lead.
Harrisburg responded with a decisive 12–0 run in the second quarter, fueled by Connor Clark, Cole Kooiker, Owen Sylliaasen, and Crayton Jibben, turning the deficit into a 24–19 halftime advantage.
Spearfish surged again in the third. Vavruska, Gibbs, and Davis trimmed the margin before Gibbs knocked down a jumper to give the Spartans a 31–30 lead — their first since the opening period.
But Harrisburg answered immediately behind Myles Nour and regained control at the free-throw line.
Gibbs kept Spearfish close with scoring inside the paint, and Southern tied the game with a three-pointer, but the Tigers closed strong. Kooiker and Jibben delivered key baskets late, and Harrisburg capitalized on foul trouble and the free-throw line to seal the win.
Gibbs led Spearfish with 12 points and seven rebounds, earning Superior Performer honors. Davis added seven points, three rebounds, and two steals. Kortan finished with six points, six rebounds, and four assists. Vavruska scored eight, Southern added three, and Seyer chipped in three.
Harrisburg was led by Stellan Larson and Myles Nour, each with 15 points, while Kooiker added eight.
Looking Ahead
With the two losses, Spearfish drops to 6 in the standings. While still maintaining a host site for the SoDak 16, the room for error shrinks further with one more regular-season weekend to go. The Spartans host two more Class AA opponents on Friday and Saturday, with the Yankton Bucks coming to town Friday at 7:30 pm for senior night, and the Brookings Bobcats wrap up the regular season on Saturday at 3:30 pm. Both games will be streamed live on KDSJ-TV on YouTube and on KDSJ’s Facebook Live.
Brandon Valley Replay: https://www.youtube.com/live/r5TjmtpzTBU?si=lx7VoLU60oxXB2-o
Harrisburg Replay: https://www.youtube.com/live/FysQbesVMpg?si=qVneK99NDOfQgcMe
