RAPID CITY-In a defensive battle, St. Thomas More proved to be too much for Winner to handle.
The No. 2 Cavaliers outlasted the No. 7 Warriors 63-51 in an opening round game at the Class A state boys basketball tournament on Thursday at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City.
Four different St. Thomas More players scored in double figures and the Cavalier defense stalled the Warrior offense throughout the contest. Preston Arity led St. Thomas More with 21 points and eight rebounds, while Tayton Maher had 16 points and P.J. Freidel finished with 14 points and six assists. Isaac Kortemeyer chipped in 12 points in the win.
For Winner (18-6), Drew DeMers finished with 21 points, while Devon Leiferman added 16 points in the loss. The Warriors went 19-of-50 from the field for 38 percent shooting.
St. Thomas More led after one quarter 12-7. The Warriors took a 17-14 lead halfway through the second quarter, only to see the Cavaliers close out the first half on a 12-5 run to lead 26-22 at the break. Winner remained within striking distance throughout the third quarter, but the Cavaliers entered the final period with a 42-37 lead.
ADVERTISEMENT
In the fourth quarter, Winner was able to cut St. Thomas More's lead down to four points with 3:33 left in the game, but a 6-0 run by the Cavaliers extended the lead back to 10.
St. Thomas More (19-4) will face the winner between No. 3 Dakota Valley and No. 6 Mount Vernon/Plankinton in the semifinals. The Warriors will face the lost in the consolation semifinals at 2:45 p.m. on Friday.
Check back with mitchellrepublic.com and see Friday's print edition of The Daily Republic for more coverage.
