Kernels jump out to big lead in win

PIERRE — The Mitchell Kernels wasted little time showing why they were the state’s preseason No.1 team Tuesday against the Governors in Pierre.

The Kernels (7-2) led wire-to-wire in Tuesday’s ESD matchup and captured their second consecutive victory with a 65-27 verdict against the Governors (5-4).

From the moment Kristin Sabers scored the game’s first points with a triple, the Kernels dominated through a balanced scoring attack and a dominant effort defensively.

The Kernels featured the top-three leading scorers in the contest as Kerri Young totaled 19 and Macy Miller and Sabers each scored 13 in the victory.

“Kerri has struggled a bit so it was good to see her get going (Tuesday). Macy has been strong all year and Kristin Sabers shot the ball well from the outside to give us some balance,” Mitchell coach Wes Morgan said.

Sabers’ 3-pointer began a 7-0 run to begin the game for the No.3-rated Kernels, a run that continued until Kaitlyn Severyn broke it with a free throw.

The Kernels kept scoring as Young added a three to push the score to 10-1 in the game’s opening minutes.

Sydney Palmer did all she could to keep the Governors afloat as she scored six quick points to cut the Governors’ deficit to five, but the Kernels answered to take a 15-7 lead after the first quarter.

The Kernels focused their defense on Pierre’s stellar frontcourt of Severyn and Palmer and that strategy worked. Palmer did score 12 points and Severyn added six but each had to work hard to get those baskets.

“We knew what kind of player Severyn is and I thought Macy did a good job of defending her and making it tough on her. Palmer got her points but we also made her work for them. She’s going to be a nice player though,” Morgan said.

The Kernels pushed their lead to double digits in the second quarter as they began the quarter on an 8-0 run until Kelsey Schmitz scored with 3:30 remaining in the quarter.

Mitchell’s run was engineered by its two stars as Young scored 10 points in the first half while Miller followed with nine.

“I thought our kids did a pretty good job defensively, but Macy and Kerri do a great job of reading each other and finding each other. They’ve played a lot of basketball together over the years and they know where each person is going to be on the floor. They play with a lot of confidence and we need to come out and find a way to play with that same confidence,” Bahe said.

The Kernels never looked back in the second half as they extended their lead to 25 after three quarters of play and never wavered through the final quarter of play.

After a pair of rare losses, the Kernels have bounced back with two good wins, although they are well aware that they could see a much-improved Governors team in the next go-around.

“I think the kids are refocused. This may look like a lopsided win but Pierre has quality kids who are well coached. It will be a different game the next time but it was nice to see us step up defensively,” Morgan said.

The Kernels return home to take on Yankton at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.

MITCHELL 65, PIERRE 27

Mitchell (7-2)

Courtney Moore 2-5 2-2 6; Kerri Young 7-13 4-5 19; Kristin Sabers 5-11 1-1 13; Megan Farnham 0-1 0-0 0; Macy Miller 3-7 7-8 13; Alex Weber 1-1 0-0 2; Torrie Michels 1-3 0-0 2; Taylor Volesky 4-6 0-1 8; Shelby Iburg 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 24-48 14-17 65.

PIERRE (5-4)

Kaitlyn Severyn 2-15 2-2 6; Katie Berg 0-5 0-0 0; Taylor Hyde 0-3 1-2 1; Sydney Palmer 6-12 0-0 12; Kristi Livermont 0-3 0-0 0; McKenna Halverson 1-1 0-0 2; Courtney Brandt 0-1 0-0 0; Stevi Claussen 1-3 0-0 2; Kelsey Schmitz 1-2 0-0 2; Miranda Panzer 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 12-46 3-4 27.

MHS 16 24 43 65

PHS 7 11 18 27

3-point goals: M 3-5 (Young 1-1, Sabers 2-3, Farnham 0-1) P 1-9 (Hyde 0-2, Palmer 0-3, Claussen 0-2, Brandt 0-1, Panzer 1-1) Rebounds—M 32 (Young 10), P 26 (Severyn, Claussen 5), Total Fouls – M 13, P 15. Steals – M 8 (Sears, Volesky, 2), P 5 (Palmer, Schmitz 2). Blocks – M 1 (Young 1), P 0. Turnovers – M 9, P 12. Fouled out – P Hyde. M None.

JV: Pierre; Torrie Michels and Emma Schmidt each had eight points.

Sophomores: Pierre 28-23; Hallie Misiaszek had 11 points.

Freshmen: Pierre 38-15; Sydney Piper had seven points.

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