Mitchell girls ready to face top-seeded Aberdeen today

A common goal for sports teams is to peak at the end of the season.

As the state tournament approaches, Mitchell High School basketball coach Wes Morgan says his team is doing just that.

“I think it’s really important to play at a high level as we go,” he said. “If we continue to improve as we go into the tournament and peak at the right time, we’ll make it tough for other teams to beat us.”

The Kernels’ improvements will be tested tonight when second-seeded Mitchell travels to play top-seeded Aberdeen Central for the District 3AA championship at 7 p.m. in Aberdeen.

A win will send the Kernels into the state tournament. If Mitchell loses tonight, it plays in a region game Saturday against a West River team for a second chance at getting into state.

Morgan said his team has been working hard to prepare for the district championship game.

“We’re trying to get our defense set, so we can make it hard on them to get a good look,” he said. “We’ve been playing good offensively, and I think we’re starting to play at a more consistent level defensively.”

Morgan, whose team is 19-2 this season, said the battle on the boards will play a big role in the game.

The two Eastern South Dakota Conference teams split during the regular season with Aberdeen (19-1) winning the first game and Mitchell taking the second — both teams won at home.

The Golden Eagles, whose only loss is against the Kernels this season, won the rebounding battle in both games. Aberdeen outrebounded Mitchell 28-19 in the first contest Jan. 5 and 29-28 in the second meeting on Feb. 8.

“It’s going to be a huge factor,” Morgan said. “We can’t give them second and third looks.”

Mitchell’s leading rebounder this season is senior Kristin Sabers with 8.5 rebounds per game and senior Kerri Young has 6.5 rebounds per game. Junior Macy Miller is the team’s leading scorer with 19.2 points per game and Young has 17.7 points per game this season.

For Morgan and the Kernels, winning tonight’s game is key in preparation for the state tournament.

“It’s important to get through districts and not having to play another game this week,” Morgan said. “We want to be able to prepare for the state tournament early and be able to condition for it.”

Tags: sports, updates, mitchell, basketball