Leah Landry, Cobblers clobber Sturgis Brown on senior night (2024)

The Rapid City Central girls basketball team surged past Sturgis Brown with a dominant performance by Leah Landry on Thursday at Naasz Gymnasium.

The Cobblers freshman secured a double-double by establishing a presence in the paint.

Central capitalized on her performance en route to a 58-23 senior-night victory over the Scoopers.

“I felt like we needed it, especially since it was senior night,” Landry said. “It was good seeing the seniors happy on the court and having fun for one of their last games of the season. They were putting their all into it.”

The Cobblers (8-10) battled with Sturgis early until Landry and Villique Fallis provided a spark with back-to-back steals and a layup late in the first.

The baskets kicked off a 19-0 run, allowing the Cobblers to grow its lead to 16 points.

Landry tallied 19 points, scoring nine in the third quarter, paired with 20 rebounds. She grabbed six offensive and 14 defensive boards.

“We’re not that big, so I try to work my butt off and make sure we can get the rebounds,” Landry said. “I try to be the hardest rebounder so we can stay in the game and fight for my team down low with all the tall girls.”

Aaliyah Jones contributed 15 points, sinking three 3-pointers and pulling down five rebounds. Lolo Carlow and Tracelyn Strand tallied eight and seven points, respectively.

Jones, Carlow, Strand, Fallis and Mari Colhoff were honored before the game during the senior night ceremony.

“They love the game, and they're always putting in extra time,” Central head coach Tia Hemiller said of the seniors. “They’re so united, and they care for one another. Their experience shows how composed and calm they are. They bring a calm, composed presence to our team. I believe in them and trust them.”

Defensively, Central shut down the Scoopers, allowing seven points in the first quarter, three in the second, nine in the third and four in the fourth.

The Cobblers carried their early momentum throughout the second half, putting together a 16-2 run in the third before going on a 16-0 run in the fourth.

“Our focus has been on the defensive end,” Hemiller said. “They picked up the intensity on defense, which we got a lot of tips, touches and deflections. They took pride in defense. They were also being better with having a one-and-done mentality, boxing out and getting a rebound.”

Sturgis (3-13) finished with 15 turnovers and shot 22.2% from the field on 10 of 45 shooting.

“We just couldn't get things to fall,” Scoopers head coach Courtney Pool said. “Credit to them because they played great defense. We just couldn't get our offense going, and we weren't in the right spots.”

Tori Williams led the Scoopers with nine points, making both of the team’s 3-pointers. She continued to drive and shoot the ball in an attempt to get things rolling for her team.

“She's been doing that for us all year,” Pool said off Williams. “She's a competitor. She's going to try to get it done. We’ve played well against Belle Fourche. Tonight was just not our night.”

Addy Kossier battled Landry in the paint and contributed eight points despite facing foul trouble in the second half. She made 4 of 4 shots from the field and grabbed a team-high four rebounds.

Sturgis hosts Rapid City Stevens on Friday at the West Gym.

“We're playing six games in two weeks with four of them left,” Pool said. “Sometimes in athletics, it doesn't go your way and you just have to have a short memory. But I hope that Central stays with it and continues to roll. They're hot, so hopefully, they get to keep it going.”

Central benefits from a week off before facing Sioux Falls Lincoln next Friday and Sioux Falls Washington on Saturday at Nassz Gymnasium for its final games of the regular season.

“We have to get a good week of practice in because those are two big games for us,” Hemiller said. “We have to win those games one way or another. I think we're playing our best basketball right now. We just want to finish strong going into the SoDak 16.”