BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP

Women’s National Invitation Tournament:
Third-round games, left side of the bracket:
Michigan State @ South Dakota, 7 p.m. Thursday. (Midco Sports Network)
TCU @ New Mexico, 8 p.m. Thursday.
Purdue @ Indiana, 8 p.m. Thursday.
UC-Davis @ Kansas State, 7 p.m. Friday.
(These four winners and the four winners from the right side of the bracket advance to the quarterfinals Saturday, Sunday or Monday. The semifinals will be next Wednesday or Thursday and the championship game March 31.)

NCAA Division II men’s tournament @ Sanford Pentagon, Sioux Falls:
Semifinals:
#1 Ferris State (Mich.) vs. #4 West Texas A&M, 7 p.m. Thursday.
#2 Queens (N.C.) vs. #3 Northern State (S.D.), 9:30 p.m. Thursday. (CBS Sports Network)
(National championship game Saturday, 3 p.m.)

NCAA Division II women’s tournament @ Sanford Pentagon, Sioux Falls:
Championship game:
#1 Ashland (Ohio) vs. #5 Central Missouri, 7 p.m. Friday (CBS Sports Network)

HOCKEY TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP

NCAA Division I men West Region at Sioux Falls:
— 3 p.m. Friday, St. Cloud State vs. Air Force (ESPNU).
— 6:30 p.m. Friday, Minnesota State-Mankato vs. Minnesota-Duluth (ESPN3).
— 8 p.m. Saturday, championship game (ESPN2).

FOR LANGUAGE LOVERS ONLY

A malapropism walks into a bar, looking for all intensive purposes like a wolf in cheap clothing, muttering epitaphs and casting dispersion’s on his magnificent other, who takes him for granite.

PIERRE GOVERNORS SPORTS ROUNDUP

Track: The season-opening meet for the Governors and Lady Govs teams will now be next Thursday, March 29, at SDSU’s indoor facility in Brookings.

SULLY BUTTES CHARGERS SPORTS ROUNDUP

Boys basketball: The ultimate prize, the boys state “B” championship, came home to Sully Buttes when the Chargers won a classic title game over Clark-Willow Lake Saturday night, 58-55. In the quarterfinals the Chargers took down Timber Lake, 62-53, after the score was tied 35-35 after three quarters. Lincoln Jordre scored 18 points, Devan Kleven 17, Jacob Howard 13 and Nick Wittler 11. In the semifinals SBHS led White River 28-24 at halftime but outscored the Tigers 10-6 in the third period and 18-4 in the fourth to win by 56-34. Jordre had 22 points and Howard 21. In the championship game the Chargers found themselves down by 10 points after the third quarter but went on an amazing 20-0 run to start the fourth and then lead by 10. Clark-Willow Lake on a four-point play crept to within three points, and they had a chance at a buzzer-beating three-pointer to tie the game, but it missed, and the title belonged to Sully Buttes. Wittler had 18 points on six three-pointers; Jordre 16 points and four blocks; Howard 15 points (including 7-of-8 on free throws) and 16 rebounds; Kleven five points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and Jack Mercer four points. Howard and Jordre were named to the all-tournament team. Sully Buttes’ final season record was 25-1.

Boys basketball: This year’s state “B” championship is the second for a Sully Buttes boys team as the Chargers also won in 2009. A Charger boys team has qualified for the state tournament 15 times since the reorganized school came into existence for the 1970-71 school year. The Chargers placed fifth in 1974, went back in 1997, placed third in 1998 and 2001 and returned in 2002. Then SBHS went on an eight-year streak of going to the state “B” every year from 2005 through 2012, placing third in 2008, winning it all in 2009 and placing third in 2011. Then the Chargers went last year, placing third, and again won it all this year.

TOM SWIFTS

“I can’t get down from the mountain,” Tom alleged.

ZESTO SHERBET SCHEDULE

Thursday: coffee.
Friday-Sunday: raspberry.
Monday-Tuesday: almond.
Wednesday-Thursday: orange.

BASKETBALL UPDATE

Toyama Grouses (Sam Willard): The Grouses split a pair with Hokkaido. In a 98-86 win Sam was 6-of-10 in two-pointers, 0-of-2 in threes and 6-of-7 in free throws for 18 points with 12 rebounds, two assists and a block. In an 85-76 loss Sam went 0-for-6 in twos and 1-of-3 in threes for three points with 22 rebounds, an assist and a block. Now 18-26 and in fifth place, the Grouses play two this weekend vs. Ryukyu GK (34-10).

Sioux Falls Skyforce: The Skyforce lost to Austin, 117-107, and lost to Iowa, 121-116. Sioux Falls ends the regular season with games Friday and Saturday at Northern Arizona.

Minnesota Timberwolves: After a 117-101 loss to San Antonio and a 129-120 defeat at the hands of Houston, the Wolves beat the Los Angeles Clippers Tuesday, 123-109. Minnesota goes to New York Friday (6:30 FSN) and to Philadelphia (5:00 FSN), then comes home to play Memphis Monday (7:00 FSN) and Houston Wednesday (7:00 FSN).

GOLF UPDATE

PGA Champions Tour: Tom Byrum and the rest of the Tour were idle last weekend. The Tour resumes this weekend Friday through Sunday at the Rapiscan Systems Classic.

HOCKEY UPDATE

Sioux Falls Stampede: The Herd won over Des Moines, 3-2, and over Sioux City, 6-3, to move into a second-place tie with Omaha with a 29-14-8 record. The Stampede plays Friday and Saturday at Kearney against Tri-City.

Rapid City Rush: The Rush lost to Allen, 5-4; lost to Wichita, 3-2, and beat Wichita in overtime, 4-3. Rapid City hosted Idaho last night and stays home to play Idaho Friday and Saturday.

Minnesota Wild: Minnesota beat Las Vegas, 4-2; beat Arizona, 3-1, and lost to Los Angeles, 4-3 in overtime after losing a lead in the final minute of regulation. Minnesota is in third place in the West but only six points ahead of eighth place with two weeks to go in the regular season. The Wild is home vs. Nashville Saturday (7:00 FSN+) and Boston Sunday (6:30 NBCSN) and on the road to Nashville Tuesday (7:00 FSN).

THOUGHTS ON GETTING OLDER

Some days I have no idea what I’m doing out of bed.

SOCCER UPDATE

Minnesota United FC: The Loons won over Chicago, 2-1, and now stand at 2-1 for the MLS season. Minnesota plays at the New York Red Bulls at 6 p.m. Saturday.

FOOTBALL UPDATE

Sioux Falls Storm: The Storm outscored Iowa, 52-40, Sunday to improve to a 2-1 record. Sioux Falls plays at Green Bay at 7:05 p.m. Saturday.

BASEBALL UPDATE

Live telecasts this week:
Thursday, 12:05: Minnesota vs. New York Yankees, ESPN2.
Thursday, 3:05: Kansas City vs. Milwaukee, MLBN.
Friday, 12:05: Boston vs. New York Yankees, ESPN.
Friday, 12:05: Minnesota vs. Houston, FSN.
Friday, 3:05: Cincinnati vs. Colorado, MLBN.
Friday, 8:40: Texas vs. San Diego, MLBN.
Saturday, 12:05: Houston vs. Boston, MLBN.
Saturday, 9:05: Colorado vs. Chicago Cubs, MLBN.
Sunday, 12:05: Minnesota vs. Boston, FSN.
Sunday, 12:05: St. Louis vs. Washington, MLBN.
Sunday, 8:07: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Los Angeles Angels, MLBN.
Monday, 12:05: Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia, MLBN.
Tuesday, 12:05: Chicago Cubs vs. Boston, ESPN.
Tuesday, 6:07: St. Louis vs. Toronto, MLBN.

Minnesota Twins:
Thursday: New York Yankees, 12:05, ESPN2.
Friday: Houston, 12:05, FSN.
Saturday: Baltimore, 5:05.
Sunday: Boston, 12:05, FSN.
Tuesday: @ Washington, 3:05.
Thursday: @ Baltimore, 2:05, FSN (regular-season opener).

Colorado Rockies (times MDT):
Thursday: Arizona, 8:10.
Friday: Cincinnati, 2:10, MLBN.
Saturday: Chicago Cubs, 8:05, MLBN.
Sunday: Arizona, 2:10.
Tuesday: Seattle, 1:10.
Thursday: @ Arizona, 8:10 (regular-season opener).

Chicago Cubs:
Thursday: San Francisco, 9:05.
Friday: Milwaukee, 3:05.
Saturday: Colorado, 9:05, MLBN.
Sunday: Kansas City, 2:05.
Monday: @ Boston, 5:05.
Tuesday: @ Boston, 12:05, ESPN.
Thursday: @ Miami, 11:40 (regular-season opener).

RED SKELTON’S RECIPES FOR THE PERFECT MARRIAGE

I take my wife everywhere, but she keeps finding her way back.

WEDDING DAYS

April 7: Scott Pavlisick/Tonya Reed.
April 14: Greg Peters/Lavonn Voita.
April 14: Kai Hanson/Kayla Saxe.
April 28: Chris Pope/Morgan Peterson.
May 19: Prince Harry/Meghan Markle.
June 2: Ethan Fife/Heather Mangan.
June 2: Cole Cruse/Kadence Feininger.
June 16: Matt Blaseg/Taryn Wolf.
June 16: Brandon Vockrodt/Kayla Nuese.
June 29: Jack Markel/Eileen Leong.
July 7: Matt Tetzlaff/Korie Lebeda.
July 14: Shawn Hlavacek/Rebekah Hartmann.
Aug. 11: Steve Long/Cassie Amundson.
Aug. 18: Jason Noyes/Micki DeCurtins.
Aug. 19: Derek Berman/Danea Duxbury.
Aug. 25: Steven Gordon/Katelynn Engh.
Sept. 29: Tyler Arbach/Rachel Hartmann.
Oct. 6: Rodd Bauck/Megan Vockrodt.
Oct. 6: Cale Pell/Sarah Lihs.

RECOMMENDED READING

“The Art of Archery” by Beau N. Arrow
— Literary Wordplay

COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP

Tennessee women (Caleb Currier): The Lady Vols won their first-round game in the NCAA Tournament over Liberty, 100-60, but lost in the second round to Oregon State, 66-59. Tennessee’s final record was 25-8.

South Dakota women (Chloe Lamb, Ciara Duffy): Having earned an automatic spot in the WNIT tournament for having been Summit League regular-season champions, the Coyotes won at home in the first round over Houston, 65-58. Jaycee Bradley led USD with 12 points. Ciara had 11, going 4-of-8 in field goals, including 3-of-6 in threes, and 0-of-2 in free throws. She also had eight rebounds, three assists and a block. Chloe was 2-of-8 in field goals, including 0-of-5 in threes, for four points with two steals. In the second round on Sunday USD faced a former Coyote women’s coach, Ryun Williams, and his Colorado State team and destroyed them, 74-49. The Yotes outrebounded the Rams, 39-26, and hit 13 three-pointers. Ciara had 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks, and Chloe was 4-of-8, including 2-of-5 in threes, for
10 points with three boards and two assists. CSU made one run at the Coyotes, creeping to within 45-40 in the third quarter, but USD went on an immediate 18-0 run to pull away. The third round starts tonight (Thursday), and USD is home again, this time against Michigan State of the Big 10 at 7 p.m., and the game will be on Midco Sports Network. Tonight’s winner gets into the quarterfinals Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The semifinals would be next Wednesday and Thursday.

South Dakota State men (Lane Severyn): In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, SDSU lost in Boise, Idaho, to Ohio State, 81-73. In a game that was tied at halftime, 43-43, the Jacks were still tied at 48-48, but the Buckeyes surged with 13 straight points into a 61-48 lead. SDSU had one more rally in them, tying the game at 70-70 with 1:54 to play, but a three-point field goal and four free throws made it 77-70 in the next 50 seconds, and the Jacks could get no closer in the final minute. Mike Daum had 27 points and six rebounds to lead SDSU, and David Jenkins scored 16. Lane played seven minutes and was 0-for-1 in field goals and had a rebound. SDSU finishes its year with a 28-7 record.

South Dakota State women (Sydney Palmer): A three-pointer by Madison Guebert tied the game at 68-68 and forced overtime, but SDSU lost its NCAA Tournament first-round contest to Villanova, 81-74, at South Bend, Ind. The Jacks fell way behind early and had to keep chipping away. They were down 26-11 after one quarter, 38-27 at halftime and 52-42 after three quarters. Villanova sank three three-pointers in O.T. to break a 70-70 tie. Macy Miller had 25 points and eight rebounds, Madison Guebert 21 points and Ellie Thompson 16. Sydney played seven minutes and was 0-for-1 in field-goal shots and had a rebound. SDSU finishes the year at 26-7.

Northern men: The Wolves won their national quarterfinal game in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in Sioux Falls Tuesday, 79-71 over East Stroudsburg (Pa.). Northern, which led at halftime 38-32, shot 57% and outrebounded their opponents 37-21 in recording its 35th win of the season in 38 games. Ian Smith scored 21 points, D.J. Pollard 19, Logan Doyle 13 and Gabe King 10. NSU, the #3 seed, tackles the #2 seed, Queens University of Charlotte, N.C., in the semifinals tonight (Thursday). The game will be on CBS Sports Network.

COLLEGE BASEBALL ROUNDUP

Minnesota (Nolan Burchill): The Gophers lost at Texas-Arlington, 13-5; won twice over TCU, 6-3 and 8-0, and lost one at TCU, 5-4 in 13 innings. Now 14-8, Minnesota opens Big 10 play with three games at Nebraska this weekend.

Northern (Spencer Sarringar): The Wolves won one at Augustana, 7-3, but lost three there, 4-0, 4-2 and 10-0. Now 6-7 overall and 1-3 in the NSIC, Northern plays four this weekend at Southwest Minnesota State.

South Dakota State (Landon Badger, Quinn Reimers): The Jackrabbits lost all three games to Oral Roberts in their Summit League opening series. In a 14-9 loss Landon went 0-for-5 at the plate. Quinn in two innings of pitching allowed five hits, five runs, two walks, two wild pitches and a balk and struck out one. In a 15-12 loss Landon was 0-for-2 at the plate. In a 4-3 loss in 11 innings Landon had one hit in four at-bats. His bunt single in the seventh put him on base from where he scored on a two-run double that tied the game at 3-3. Tuesday’s game at Creighton was postponed to April 10. SDSU continues Summit play this weekend with three games at Western Illinois.

WORTHLESS FACTS

Antarctica is the only place McDonald’s isn’t.

COLLEGE HOCKEY ROUNDUP

Nebraska men (Derek Burke): The Huskers lost their final game of pool play at their ACHA Division III national tournament to Oakland (Mich.), 9-4 to finish 0-3 in pool play and 30-11-0 for the season.

NCHC Frozen Faceoff: In the semifinals St. Cloud State edged North Dakota in overtime, 3-2, and Denver defeated Minnesota-Duluth, 3-1. In the championship game defending national champion Denver defeated #1 St. Cloud State, 4-1. UND won the third-place game over UMD, 4-1, but it didn’t help. UND had been selected for the NCAA tournament for 15 straight years until now.

North Dakota: When it was announced a year ago that Sioux Falls would host the NCAA West Regional, it was also stated that UND would be sent to the Sioux Falls regional if UND qualified for the tournament. That was almost a sure bet because for 15 straight years the Sioux—and now the Fighting Sioux (now the Fighting Hawks) always made it. But the great plan that would have sent hundreds of UND fans down I-29 to Sioux Falls fizzled out. Instead, Sioux Falls has to hope that St. Cloud State, Minnesota State-Mankato and Minnesota-Duluth fans and South Dakota hockey fans in general will fill the Premier Center with fans this weekend so such events will continue to be sent to Sioux Falls by the NCAA.

WCHA championship: Michigan Tech won at Northern Michigan, 2-0.

NCAA Tournament:
— West Region at Sioux Falls: (See the top of this Midweek Update).
— Midwest Region at Allentown, Pa.: Ohio State vs. Princeton and Denver vs. Penn State; semis Saturday, finals Sunday.
— Northeast Region at Worcester, Mass.: Cornell vs. Boston U. and Michigan vs. Northeastern; semis Saturday, finals Sunday.
— East Region at Bridgeport, Conn.: Notre Dame vs. Michigan Tech and Providence vs. Clarkson; semis Friday, finals Saturday.
(At the Frozen Four in St. Paul April 5 and 7, West plays Midwest in one semifinal, and Northeast plays East in the other.)

COUNTDOWN

Tonight: Buchanan Elementary spring concert. (March 22)
1 day: NCAA Division I men’s hockey West Regional, Sioux Falls (March 23-24).
2 days: All-State Band concert, Rapid City (March 24).
4 days: Kennedy Elementary spring concert (March 26).
5 days: Jefferson Elementary spring concert (March 27).
7 days: Baseball opening day (March 29).
8 days: NCAA Division I women’s basketball Final Four, Columbus (March 30, April 1).
9 days: NCAA Division I men’s basketball Final Four, San Antonio (March 31, April 2).
10 days: Easter Sunday (April 1).
10 days: “Jesus Christ Superstar” in concert, NBC-TV (April 1).
14 days: NCAA Division I men’s hockey Frozen Four, St. Paul (April 5, 7).
15 days: Pierre high school baseball openers (April 6).
15 days: Hayes play (April 6-8).
19 days: Elton John tribute concert, CBS-TV (April 10).
23 days: Stanley County High prom (April 14).
29 days: Pierre Legion Relays (April 20).
37 days: All-State Jazz Band concert, Aberdeen (April 28).
42 days: Pierre Educational Foundation’s Evening of Excellence (May 3).
43 days: South Dakota State Arts Conference, Sioux Falls (May 4-5).

LIFE IN GENERAL

How many of these thin mints do I have to eat before I start seeing results?

COLLEGE SOCCER ROUNDUP

Northwestern (Iowa) women (Nikky Farnsworth): It’s spring training for college soccer. On the campus in Orange City Nikky and her Red Raider teammates will have three weekends of scrimmages in April.

COLLEGE GOLF ROUNDUP

Northern Michigan women (Karissa Guthrie): Idle last weekend, the Wildcats play Saturday and Sunday at the Spring Fling tournament at Perry Park, Ky.

South Dakota women (Katie Bartlett): The Coyotes were idle last weekend. They play Saturday and Sunday at Northern Arizona’s tournament at Sedona, Ariz.

STRANGE FACTS ABOUT THE U.S.

The entire Denver International Airport is twice the size of Manhattan.

COLLEGE TRACK ROUNDUP

Mary (Jack Wollman): The Marauders open their outdoor season this weekend at BHSU’s Stinger Open in Spearfish.

Black Hills State (Kelsey Van Den Hemel, Allan McDonnell): The Yellowjackets host the outdoor season opener, their own Stinger Open Friday and Saturday.

South Dakota State (Rachel Propst, Riley Sears, Max Reinke): The Pierre athletes did not compete at the Emporia State meet in Kansas or the Tulsa duals in Oklahoma. SDSU athletes are idle this weekend, but on March 30 go to the Mustang Open at Marshall, Minn., or the Stanford Invitational in California.

South Dakota: At the Baldy Castillo meet at Arizona State, the Coyotes’ Joe Reagan won the long jump with the third-best jump in school history at 24’8 1/2″. He also was fourth in the 200 in :21.47. Ben Hammer was second in the discus at 184’7″. Chris Nilsen won the pole vault at 18’1/2″. On the women’s side Helen Falda won the pole vault at 13’5 1/4″. Ashley Ballew was second in the triple jump at 40’3 1/2″. Idle this weekend, the Coyotes go to the Texas Relays in Austin and the Bobcat Invitation in San Marcos, Texas, next weekend.

Liberty (Cortney Dowling): Cortney did not run as Liberty athletes competed at Charleston, S.C. The Flames go Friday to the Florida State Relays, then next week to the Texas Relays.

South Dakota Mines (Theron Singleton): At the Colorado University meet in Boulder, Theron placed 19th in the 3000-meter run in 10:16.46 and 32nd in the 1500-meter event in 4:41.08. Mines goes to the BHSU Stinger Open in Spearfish this weekend.

COLLEGE WRESTLING ROUNDUP

South Dakota State: Three Jackrabbits earned All-American status and one of them, Seth Gross, who had been ranked #1 in his weight class all season, won himself a national championship, the first in any sport for an SDSU individual since the switch to Division I athletics. Gross’ five wins at the national championships in Cleveland gave him a record of 29-1 for the year. In his semifinal match Gross won in overtime over Tariq Wilson of North Carolina State by fall. In his second 133-pound national title match in as many years, Gross took down Steven Micic of Michigan State, ranked #2, by a 13-8 score.
Gross is a junior this year. SDSU’s David Kocer placed seventh, winning his match there over Jacobe Smith of Oklahoma State, 7-2. Kocer, a senior, finished his final season with a 28-8 record by going 5-2 at the national meet. Luke Zilverberg placed eighth, losing his seventh-place match to Josh Shields of Arizona State, 9-6. Zilverberg, also a senior, went 3-3 in Cleveland to finish the year at 30-11. Nate Rotert was eliminated from All-American contention on Friday night and ended his career with 99 wins. Going 3-2 at Cleveland gave him a record of 28-5 for this winter. As for the other three SDSU wrestlers who had qualified for nationals—freshman Connor Brown went 1-2 and finished a 23-16 year; sophomore Henry Pohlmeyer was 1-2 and finished 23-11; sophomore Martin Mueller went 0-2 and finished 23-8.

THE BLONDES ARE BACK

A police officer stopped a blonde for speeding and asked her very nicely if he could see her driver’s license. She replied in a huff, “I wish you guys would get your act together. Just yesterday you take away my license, and then now you expect me to show it to you!”

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

Thursday, March 22:
Wendy Birhanzel, Travis Fitzke, Olivia Smith. Sharla McCaskell, Eric Gednalske, Dane Dodson, Nicole Ogan, Serena Norman, Oaklie Cruse, Josephine Karim, Nellie Holsten, Leo Schmidt, George Ford.

Friday, March 23:
Livia Neuberger, Amy Wire, Jason Person, Keaton Durkin, Darcy Weber, Hadley Shoup, Ashlynn Lizotte, Soraya Karim, Sienna Karim, Toby Bryant, Brian Hylle, McKayla Marso, Brittani Snow, Kelsey McKay.

Saturday, March 24:
Ashley (Dunwoody) Dugstad, Dan Zebroski, Tyrel Hall, Allison Knox, Jon Horning, Brandon Sieck, Theresa Hanson, Jeff Sampson, Jeff Post, Smith Schneider, Bretta (Schumacher) Olson, Tyler Sarringar, Adam Korkow.
— Anniversary, Andy/Jamie (Gannaway) Heymans.
— 6th anniversary, Neil/Molly Eichstadt.

Sunday, March 25:
Allison Mickelson, Evelyn Bowers, Jamie Dvorak, Angie Gross, Janelle Toman, Adriana Uecker.

Monday, March 26:
Tyler Nold, Mollie Holden, Roger Easland, Elissa Rislov, Audra (Meyer) Cardwell, Bonnie Korkow, Chad Eschmeyer, Craig Rilling, Connie Colwill, Nadia Rasmussen, Pat Adams, Jason Monroe, Chas Olson, Terah Bollinger, Corey Ramsey, Dalton Decker.

Tuesday, March 27:
Eileen Herrin, Sarah (Winter) Sonnenschein, Larry Lundeen, Susan Flottmeyer, Kathy (Adam) Bykowski, Janelle (Kvislen) Carda, Angela (DiBenedetto) Smith, Connie (Olson) McCosky, David Forney, Allen Uecker, Christopher Roberts, Carol McKee.

Wednesday, March 28:
Connor Barnes, Graden Barnes, Sydney Hackett, Joseph Kean, Aaron Bumann, Michael Bumann, Peggy (Marshall) Engstrom, Derek Gustafson, Jace Jerome, Nancee Johnson.
— 4th anniversary, Clay/Katelynn (Lamb) Pottorff.

Thursday, March 29:
Grey Zabel, Abel Haas, Doug Smith, Patty Williams, Liz Stewart, Lindsey (Brown) Osterkamp, Mary Hove, Patrick Snyder, Eric Harris, Emily (Goeden) Decker, Nicole (Mikkelsen) Schwinler, Nathan Mikkelsen, Jack Magee.
— Anniversary, Craig/Charlene Keller.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Reading can seriously damage your ignorance.
— Minds to Greatness

PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES

— During our first weekend run of “Gypsy” out here at Black Hills Community Theatre, it was a treat to first see for the first time in many years Betsy Valnes, a 1997 classmate of my daughters, at one of our shows. At another show the former Mary Wendt, a 1994 classmate of my son Ryan, came up to the orchestra to visit a friend of hers and unexpectedly also ran into me!

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

Elizabeth Vogt, who teaches honors English to juniors and seniors at Riggs High School, has been named Teacher of the Year in the Pierre School District. She now becomes eligible for regional and state Teacher of the Year recognition. Mrs. Vogt has been teaching seniors since 1998 and added juniors in the mid-1990s. (News courtesy of Dakota Radio Group’s “My Daily News.”)

Janice Bronemann, 75, Harrold, died at home March 16. Services were held Wednesday at the school auditorium in Harrold. The former Janice Schmitz grew up near Harrold and graduated from high school there in 1958. She worked at Red Owl in Pierre, then at the state engineer’s office. After she and Jerald Bronemann were married in 1961, they lived on ranches near Harrold and Wood, then at the Bronemann ranch south of Harrold for the past 40 years. Among her survivors are her husband; their son, Wade Bronemann and his wife Clara Jo of Harrold; two granddaughters in Rapid City; her brother, Dick Schmitz of Harrold, and two sisters, Lucille Bickett of Sioux Falls and Pat Gregg and her husband Merrill of Pierre.

Newly inducted into the Riggs High chapter of National Honor Society are Frank Becker, Carly Bowmanm, Tess Erwin, Jade Evans, Halle Gronlund, Ethan Hill, Claire Hussey, Anya Jones, Sabrina Kintz, Abbi Kitts, Jack Maher, Emily Mikkelsen, Dmitri Mutchelknaus, Nicole Sarringar, Lisa Stein, Sydney Theobald, Layne Uecker, Ryan Warne, Peyton Zabel, Ashlyn Briggs, Adam Forman, Caleb Huizenga, Mattie Jones, James Lees, Hannah Lingle, Tate Mueller, Ellie Richards, Lauren Sharkey, Annabelle Simpson, Erika Stout, Sophia Stueven and Jordan Thompson. They join the following NHS members who were inducted in previous years: Alex Allison, Davis Anderson, Jacob Beastrom, Kaylee Becker, Cayley Bush, Erick Colman, Hunter Dalton, Taylor Davis, Addison Eisenbeisz, Hannah Gates, Paige Gloe, Samantha Gortmaker, Abby Gunderson, Anna Haberman, Madyson Hammell, Melissa Hedglin, Mary Howard, Blaine Humann, Jesse Jares, Grace Jones, Chloe Kaiser, Caleb Lusk, Michael Lyons, Carson McCaskell, Judah McKinley, Kade McTighe, Claire Mohr, Carsten Mueller, Grace Nedved, Aarne Nixon, Dawson Puepke, Hudson Rohrbach, Evan Rumrill, Joseph Rysdon, Riggs Sanchez, Kailee Schultz, Austin Senger, Josie Slaathaug, Logan Spelbring, Molly Stulken, Kenzie Trujijllo, Carson Tschetter, Lincoln Turman, William Turman and Casey Williams.

This is the weekend of the AAUW used book sale at the Northridge Plaza mall. Hours are 10 to 6 on Saturday and noon to 3 on Sunday. Proceeds from the sale of books, CDs and DVDs are used to fund local scholarships.

John Burchill, who has been officiating high school sports for 45 years, was one of the veteran officials honored by the South Dakota High School Activities Association during the state “AA” tournament last weekend.

Katherine “Katie” Berger, 88, died at Avera St. Mary’s Hospital March 15. A memorial service was held Tuesday at Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church. A native of North Dakota, she moved to Pierre in 1974 with her husband, Mathias, and their family. She worked as a cook at the Kings Inn and later at the St. Mary’s laundry department, retiring in 1991. She is survived by her children, Pauline Stearns and her husband Larry of Topeka, Kan., Mary Richards and her husband Mike of Pierre, David Berger and his wife Maryanne of Pierre, Rose Henrichsen and her husband Darwin of Tulsa, Okla., Loretta Cao and her husband Thai of Yukon, Okla., and Donald Berger of Pierre; two brothers, a sister and 17 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.

Last Friday was Match Day for students of the University of South Dakota medical school. Stephen Bollinger learned that he, his wife Katie and their daughter Adeline will be spending their next five years in Columbia, Mo. He received his first-choice match and will be in a residency in otolaryngology (diseases and disorders of the ear, nose and throat) at the University of Missouri-Columbia Hospital. Meanwhile, Katie had already been accepted into physician’s assistant school at Stephens College in Columbia.

Katie Bourk, a native of Blunt and a 2006 alumna of Sully Buttes High School, was named one of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s Thirty-Under-30 honorees for the 2017-18 season. The recognition honors up-and-coming women’s basketball coaches age 30 and younger at all levels. This was Katie’s fifth year as an assistant to veteran coach Dave Krauth at Augustana University. She was a graduate assistant at Augustana the two years prior to that. She played her college basketball at Dakota State University.

Jim Smith, 61, died at Avera St. Mary’s Hospice on March 14. He was the second of three sons of the late Milo and Peggy (Mercer) Smith. Jim attended school in Pierre and Plainfield, Ind., and graduated from high school at Plainfield in 1974. He became an accomplished musician and played in bands in Pierre and Plainfield. He worked with his dad in their family sporting goods business and more recently at St. Mary’s Hospital, the Capital Journal and Dakotamart. Among his survivors are his daughter, Sarah, of Melbourne, Fla., and her mother, Rebecca Petit of Palm Bay, Fla.; his brothers, Mike Smith and his wife Sandy of Lafayette, Ind., and Tim Smith and his wife Ruth of Rapid City; and three nephews and a niece. A time of remembrance will be held later this spring.

Save Friday night, April 13, for “Evening for the Arts” at Riggs High School. Admission will be $10 per adult and $5 per student. An art show and a silent auction will run from 6 to 10 p.m. Dinner will be served from 6 to 8, and there will be live music performed from 6 to 8. A big-band dance from 8 to 10 will include music by the Riggs Jazz I, Riggs Jazz II and Georgia Morse Middle School Jazz bands.

Clara Garrigan Hyde died March 14 at the age of 98 at the Avera Maryhouse long-term care facility. Services were held March 17 at the Onida Presbyterian Church. Clara Uecker grew up on ranches in southeastern Hughes County and graduated from high school at Canning in 1938. She married Jack Garrigan in 1941, and they became parents of Jerauld, Clara, Judith and John. He died in 1948. Clara married Stewart Hyde in 1950, and they had four children—Stewart, Elaine, Keith and Charlene. The family moved to Onida in 1962 so the children could attend school. Stewart died in 1990. Clara moved to Pierre in 2007. She is survived by five children—Clarie Marsh and her husband Doug of Onida; Judy Hansen and her husband Dick of rural Harrold; Jack Garrigan and his wife Vicki of Spearfish; Stew Hyde and his wife Tina of Onida; and Charlene Bietz and her husband Todd of Tripp. She is also survived by a son-in-law, Bob Joachim of Agar; three sisters, Charlotte Hyde, Goldie Kelly and Florence Bartlett; 15 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren. Among those who preceded her in death were her husbands; sons Jerry Garrigan and Keith Hyde; daughter Elaine “Sis” Joachim; five sisters, two brothers and a great-granddaughter.

Elizabeth Schaefer of Rapid City Stevens, daughter of Troy and Kim (Merkwan) Schaefer, was named to the all-tournament team at the “AA” girls state tournament in Sioux Falls. Her Raider team placed seventh.

Kit and Amanda Bramblee announced on Facebook they are expecting their second child in October. The Bramblees have a son, Bodie.

The cast of Pierre Players’ “Cookin’ with Gus” will be Jean Person, Rex Craven, Steve Parker and Roxanne Smith. Show dates are April 27-29 and May 3-5.

A celebration of the life of Whitney Barnett was held last Saturday, and her family and friends enjoyed a time of remembrance afterward. Whitney, who passed away in Mexico early last week, was born in Philip just before Christmas 1985. She and her family moved to Pierre when she was 4 years old. She graduated from Riggs High School in 2004 and was one of the many young people who worked at Zesto during high school. She graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2009, having studied marketing and Spanish there. After studying abroad in Mexico and Venezuela, she decided to move to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, permanently. She enjoyed working in places there where she could interact with both locals and tourists, such as on boat cruises or selling timeshares to Americans and Canadians. She is survived by her father, Tom Barnett; her mother, Fern Barnett; her sisters, Brianne Roby and her husband Jeff and Mallori Barnett Johnson and her husband Nick; a niece and two nephews, and a special friend, Robert Needham.

Recipients of this year’s Tate Senftner Memorial Scholarship were Sully Buttes seniors Jacob Howard, Devan Kleven and LIncoln Jordre and Canistota senior Scott Jolley. The annual scholarships were presented during the state “B” boys tournament in Aberdeen last weekend by Mark, Lynn and Scott Senftner.

The School Administrators of South Dakota recognized eight people as Outstanding Administrators of South Dakota. One of them is former Riggs High assistant principal Dan Leikvold, who is now superintendent of the Lead-Deadwood school system.

Shelby Guthrie was inducted into the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society at the School of Mines and Technology Monday night.

At the 31st annual 3-Class Shootout basketball event in Salem this Saturday, three local athletes will be playing. Peyton Zabel of Pierre will play with the ‘AA’ boys, Lincoln Jordre of Sully Buttes with the ‘B’ boys and Rachel Guthmiller of Sully Buttes with the ‘B’ girls. The schedule of games: 2 p.m., ‘AA’ vs. ‘A’ girls; 3:45 p.m., ‘B’ girls vs. first-game winner; 5:15 p.m., ‘AA’ vs. ‘A’ boys; 7 p.m., ‘B’ boys vs. third-game winner.

And the basketball news rolls on. The South Dakota Basketball Coaches Association has announced its regional Coach of the Year awards. In Region 1, Jesse Wittler of Sully Buttes won lower-level boys Coach of the Year. In Region 3 Scott DeBoer of Pierre was named girls basketball Head Coach of the Year, and Max Foth of Stanley County was chosen as boys basketball Head Coach of the Year. In Region 7 Tim Hawkins of Ethan, a Sully Buttes alumnus, was named boys Assistant Coach of the Year.

Matt and Gillian (Woodburn) Hanson of South Ogden, Utah, are the parents of a daughter born yesterday, March 21. Laura Betty Hanson weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces.

Father Tom Anderson’s Christmas letter, which he himself described as “incredibly late,” arrived this week. The Riggs High alumnus, after six years of service at the Newman Center on the Northern campus in Aberdeen, was reassigned to work with St. Bernard’s in Redfield and All-Saints in Mellette. Father Tom says he is starting to get used to small-town living. One highlight of his 2017 year was a trip with his mother, Dr. Kathy Anderson, to Spain to see the sights and visit his friend, Father Kevin Zilverberg.