The 4-seeded Lead Deadwood Golddiggers (12-9) beat the five-seeded Custer Wildcats (5-16) 69-51 in Lead Tuesday night, behind a dominant second half. The Wildcats led 31-29 at the half, and a strong second half by Blake Janssen helped push the Golddiggers to the second round.
The game was the first time in 11 years that the Golddiggers hosted a regional contest, contributing to a packed home grandstand for the game. Both teams had a turn controlling the pace in the first half, with Lead-Deadwood controlling quarter one, and Custer controlling quarter two.
The Wildcat’s senior Brady Virtue led all scorers at the half, with 17 of the 31 points for Custer. Virtue ended the game with 29.
Blake Janssen took over the game in the second half, scoring 17 in the next sixteen minutes to end with 21, after only scoring four in the first half. He was awarded the Superior Performer of the contest. The Golddiggers’ aggressive defense kept the rest of the Cats shooting cold, and forced turnovers led to easy transition buckets for Lead-Deadwood.
Lead-Deadwood advances to the Region 8A semifinals, where they will travel to #1 St. Thomas More. The Cavaliers beat the Golddiggers 65-36 earlier this season. Tipoff from Rapid City is slated for 6:00 pm; the winner qualifies for the Boys Class A SoDak 16.
Replay: https://www.youtube.com/live/X_c1d3NPNWI?si=yQggstA9wnwEp5-P
