Kernel cheerleaders win Spirit of Six award; Miller, Maxwell get tourney honors

RAPID CITY — Although the Mitchell boys’ basketball team wasn’t able to send head coach Gary Munsen out with one last state championship title, there were still some high points during Munsen’s last weekend as the head coach.

At the state tournament, the Kernels (21-4) were led by seniors Brady Maxwell and Jade Miller, who each made the all-tournament team. Maxwell averaged 16 points and seven rebounds per game, while Miller averaged 15 points per game.

Maxwell’s best game of the tournament came against Pierre, when he scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed five rebounds.

Miller’s high point in the tournament was in the first round against Sioux Falls Roosevelt. He led the Kernels with a double-double scoring 23 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

The Mitchell High School cheerleading squad won the “Spirit of Six” award during halftime.

The award, which was created in memory of the Rapid City Cobbler cheerleaders who were killed in a plane accident returning from the boys’ Class A state basketball tournament in 1968, is awarded to the cheerleading team considered best on crowd control, dress, sportsmanship and enthusiasm at the state tournaments.

“We were so excited,” cheerleading coach Amanda Gilman said. “We didn’t know what to expect because there were so many good squads here.”

Members of the Mitchell cheerleading squad are Hailey McWane, Courtney Hellman, Hailey Walz, Katie Gregg, Taylor Wold, Sidney Neugebauer and Rylee Sanders.

The Mitchell cheerleaders also won the award in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008.

The other members of the Class AA all-tournament team were Robert Connot, Rapid City Central; Luke Carr, Huron; Tanner Odegaard, Brookings; Tyler Howard and Joey Habtemariam, Sioux Falls Roosevelt; Lane Severyn and Zach Hanson, Pierre; Connor Schaefbauer, Sam Wallin and Nick Mimmack, Sioux Falls O’Gorman.

Brookings’ Tanner Odegaard won the Spirit of Su award for Class AA.

Tags: boys state tournament, sports, updates, basketball, kernels