Mitchell 44, Sturgis 43

It was fitting, that following a regular season filled with some unexpected lumps, Sturgis would lose in excruciating fashion in the first round of the AA boys tournament in Sioux Falls.

After carrying the Scoopers scoring-wise and on the glass, forward Seth Bachand was double-teamed and found Zac Smith open for the layup and a 43-42 lead with just under 10 seconds to play.

Mitchell called a timeout, and with the clock ticking towards zero, Tucker Volesky freed Matt Henriksen with a pick and Nick Young found him underneath for a layup as time expired, stopping the upset bid by the Scoopers with a thud.

Bachand led Sturgis with 14 points and 10 rebounds, but suffered from a tough night from the free throw line, only making two of his seven attempts, a tough number to swallow given the close finish and low-scoring game.

Sturgis as a team struggled from the field, shooting 37% from the field 50% from the free throw line. Guard Joey Olson also reached double-figures with 11 points.

Kyle Hencke tied the game at 38 on the opening possession of the fourth quarter for the Scoopers, but it would be almost five minutes until another point. Neither team could get out of its own way with turnovers and missed shots.

Henriksen broke the drought with a jumper, but Olson answered with 3-point play. He had a nice pump-fake to get Mitchell’s Jade Miller off the floor, drew some contact and made the short shot in the paint, and his free throw put Sturgis in front 41-40.

Miller would put Mitchell back up by one with a minute left on a pretty bank shot that would prove to be the last bucket until Smith gave Sturgis their last lead.