The 2024-25 Mobridge-Pollock Lady Tigers basketball team accomplished a feat that the program had not seen in 13 years: make the state tournament. It took them to Spearfish over the weekend, as one of just eight teams standing in all of single-A. After three games, they would return to Mobridge as the sixth-best team in the state, which is their best result since they were fifth in 2011. The Lady Tigers fell to Hamlin in the quarterfinal Thursday 65-53, defeated Mount Vernon/Plankinton 50-40 in the consolation semifinal on Friday, and Saturday lost to Sioux Valley 74-59 in the consolation championship.
65-53 vs Hamlin (Quarterfinal)
The weekend got off to a fast start, with the score 18-16 Hamlin after the first quarter. Junior Blake Thompson was called for two quick fouls that took her out of the game for much of the first half, and another foul before halftime left the Lady Tigers without one of their best scorers for much of the contest. Mobridge-Pollock mustered six points of offense in the third quarter, and were trailing 17 points going into the fourth.
It was too much to overcome, and the loss eliminated them from championship contention. The Lady Tigers shot 30% from the field, and went 3-of-16 from three. Junior Faith Heil scored a season-best 13 points, and added 10 rebounds. Finishing with four fouls, Blake Thompson played 18 minutes, her fewest in a game since January. With 32 combined fouls called between Hamlin and Mobridge-Pollock, leading to 48 total free throws, both teams were contending with foul trouble throughout the game.
50-40 vs Mount Vernon/Plankinton (Consolation Semifinal)
The loss moved the Lady Tigers into the consolation bracket, where they were pitted against 8th seed Mount Vernon/Plankinton Friday afternoon. Mobridge-Pollock came back with a vengeance, rallying to get their first win. They played one of their best defensive games of the season, holding the Titans to just 27% from the field, and forcing 14 turnovers. The game began with a 9-0 Lady Tigers run that put them ahead 15-5 at the end of one quarter. Mount/Vernon Plankinton got closer in the second, but could never find enough offense to make a comeback.
With the Titans relying on their inside game, senior Charley Henderson was tasked with defending it, and showed up in the biggest possible way. She finished with three blocked shots and five steals, adding 11 points of offense to lead the team to victory. Blake Thompson played almost the whole game as well, logging 18 points with 12 rebounds.
74-59 vs Sioux Valley (Consolation Championship)
The win lifted Mobridge-Pollock into the consolation championship game against 7-seeded Sioux Valley, who nearly pulled off a big upset in the quarterfinal. The Cossacks were led by their size in the frontcourt, with a 6′ and 5’11 forward. They would combine for 29 rebounds, which resulted in the Lady Tigers losing on the glass for the only time in the tournament.
Mobridge-Pollock came out of the gate strong, taking an early 12-4 lead. But it would not take Sioux Valley long to find their rhythm, and a 10-0 Cossacks run put them ahead for good from the 3:19 mark of the first quarter. The Lady Tigers would get as close as within one point early in the second half, but would go down by as many as 16 over the final two quarters, never seeing the lead.
Sioux Valley shot 51% in the game, to go along with 11 made three-pointers, and won the rebound margin by 18. In the final game of her high school career, Charley Henderson played all but the final few seconds, checking out near the end of the game to get one final recognition from the Lady Tigers family. Emotional embraces between her and the Mobridge-Pollock coaches as the time wound down marked the end of a historic season for the program.
Capping off their best campaign in years, they finish with 19 wins, and completely steamrolled through their region. They were easily the top seed in 6A, and won their only regional playoff game by 43 points. That set them up in a favorable spot as the #5 seed in the SoDak 16, where they were victorious in a 49-48 thriller over St. Thomas More. It led to something that none of the athletes had experienced to that point at Mobridge-Pollock: a trip to the state tournament.
The Lady Tigers will graduate only one, albeit a very crucial senior in Charley Henderson. They will have a six-player senior class next season, with Blake Thompson, Tegan Konold, Faith Heil, Jacy Netterville, Jayda Thompson, and Ellie Kemnitz.
Blake Thompson was named to the all-tournament team in Spearfish, with 45 points, 19 rebounds, and seven assists through three games. Sioux Falls Christian ended the tournament as state champions, Hamlin won the third place game.
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