THOUGHT FOR TODAY

March is such a feeble month. It is the seam between winter and spring though seam suggests an even hem and March is more like a rough line of stitches sewn by an unsteady hand, swinging wildly between January gusts and June greens. You don’t know what you’ll find until you step outside.
— V. E. Schwab in “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue”

TOURNAMENTS ROUNDUP

‘AA’ BOYS BASKETBALL

All is set for the SoDak 16 in Class “AA” boys, and the eight games will be played this Saturday, March 5. The eight winners advance to the state tournament at the Premier Center in Sioux Falls March 17-19. Teams are not reseeded after the SoDak 16:
— State tournament Game #1, upper bracket:
#16 Sturgis at #1 S.F. Roosevelt
#9 Yankton at #8 Aberdeen Central
— State tournament Game #2, upper bracket:
#13 Spearfish at #4 Harrisburg
#12 R.C. Stevens at #5 Mitchell
— State tournament Game #3, lower bracket:
#15 Huron at #2 S.F. O’Gorman
#10 Brandon Valley at #7 S.F. Lincoln
— State tournament Game #4, lower bracket:
#14 Watertown at #3 S.F. Washington
#11 Pierre at #6 S.F. Jefferson (3 p.m. Saturday)

‘A’ BOYS BASKETBALL

Regionals are being played this week with two teams from each region advancing to the SoDak 16 games next Tuesday, March 8. The winners of those eight games advance to the state tournament at the Summit Arena in Rapid City March 17-19.

In Region 6A Stanley County remains alive, having won its quarterfinal game Tuesday by 63-50 over Crow Creek. The Buffaloes will be home tonight (Thursday) against Chamberlain, and the winner advances to the SoDak 16. The other game tonight in Region 6A will be Mobridge-Pollock at Winner.

‘B’ BOYS BASKETBALL

Regionals are being played this week with the two last surviving teams in each region moving to the SoDak 16 games next Tuesday, March 8. The winners of those eight contests advance to the state tournament at the Barnett Center in Aberdeen March 17-19.

In Region 2B Sully Buttes saw its season come to an end Tuesday when Potter County, whose record now is a stunning 20-1, hammered the Chargers, 72-26, in the quarterfinal. The previous night the Chargers had won their first-round game over Sunshine Bible, 78-28. Friday’s games in the region will have Faulkton at Potter County and Ipswich at Lower Brule, and those two winners go to the SoDak 16.

‘AA’ GIRLS BASKETBALL

In the ‘A’ and ‘B’ classes, teams are reseeded for the state tournaments after the SoDak 16, but not in Class “AA” where everything is set now and stays that way. These eight SoDak 16 games will be played this Friday, March 4, with the eight winners advancing to the state tourney in Rapid City March 10-12:
— State tournament Game #1, upper bracket:
#16 S.F. Roosevelt at #1 S.F Washington
#9 Pierre at #8 Sioux Falls Jefferson (7 p.m. Friday)
— State tournament Game #2, upper bracket:
#13 Brookings at #4 R.C. Stevens
#12 Watertown at #5 R.C Central
— State tournament Game #3, lower bracket:
#15 Yankton at #2 S.F. O’Gorman
#10 Mitchell at #7 S.F. Lincoln
— State tournament Game #4, lower bracket:
#14 Spearfish at #3 Brandon Valley
#11 Harrisburg at #6 Huron

‘A’ GIRLS BASKETBALL

The following SoDak 16 games will be played tonight (Thursday) with the eight winners advancing to the state tournament at Brookings March 10-12. The eight teams will be reseeded for the state tourney where #8 will play #1 and #5 will play #4 in one bracket and #2-#7 and #3-#6 in the other bracket:
#16 Winner vs #1 Wagner
#15 Crow Creek vs. #2 West Central
#14 Belle Fourche vs. #3 Hamlin
#13 Flandreau vs. #4 Lakota Tech
#12 Vermillion vs. #5 R.C. St. Thomas More
#11 Sisseton vs. #6 S.F. Christian
#10 Mount Vernon-Plankinton vs. #7 Dakota Valley
#9 Florence-Henry vs. #8 Red Cloud

‘B’ GIRLS BASKETBALL

The following SoDak 16 games will be played tonight (Thursday) with the eight winners advancing to the state tournament at Watertown March 10-12. The eight teams will be reseeded for the state tourney where #8 will play #1 and #5 will play #4 in one bracket and #2-#7 and #3-#6 in the other bracket:
#16 Bison vs. #1 Aberdeen Roncalli
#15 Avon vs. #2 De Smet
#14 Howard vs. #3 Wall
#13 Bridgewater-Emery vs. #4 Corsica-Stickney
#12 Herreid-Selby Area vs. #5 White River
#11 Viborg-Hurley vs. #6 Castlewood
#10 Sully Buttes vs. #7 Faith (7 p.m. Thursday at Mobridge).
#9 Aberdeen Christian vs. #8 Centerville

BOYS HOCKEY

The Oahe Capitals will be the #4 seed in the state tournament at Sioux Falls when the quarterfinals open the event next Friday, March 11. In one bracket will be #3 Sioux Falls No. 1 vs. #6 Sioux Center in one game and #2 Brookings vs. #7 Sioux Falls #2 in the other contest. In the opposite bracket will be #4 Oahe vs. #5 Aberdeen in one matchup and top-seeded, unbeaten Rushmore vs. #8 Watertown in the other game. The Friday game times: 9:05 a.m., Sioux Falls No. 1 vs. Sioux Center; 11:35 a.m., Brookings vs. Sioux Falls #2; 2:05 p.m., Oahe vs. Aberdeen; 4:35 p.m., Rushmore vs. Watertown. The Huron, Yankton and Mitchell teams did not finish among the top eight in the standings and thus did not qualify for the state tournament.

All 11 games of this tournament will be broadcast in the Pierre area on Capital City Rock (104.5 FM).

GIRLS HOCKEY

The state varsity tournament will be held this weekend in Aberdeen. The Oahe Capitals, the #6 seed, will face #3 Aberdeen in the 10 a.m. game Friday to start the quarterfinals. Other quarterfinal games: 12:30 p.m. #2 Mitchell vs. #7 Sioux Center; 3 p.m., #4 Brookings vs. #5 Watertown; 5:30 p.m., #1 Sioux Falls vs. #8 Rushmore. Oahe’s Saturday opponent will be Mitchell or Sioux Center. Saturday’s schedule: consolation semifinals, 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; championship semifinals, 4:30 and 7 p.m. On Sunday the fifth-place game starts at 9 a.m., the third-place game at 11:30 a.m. and the championship game at 2 p.m.

All 11 games of this tournament will be broadcast in the Pierre area on Capital City Rock (104.5 FM).

ZESTO SHERBET SCHEDULE

Thursday: coconut
Friday-Sunday: strawberry
Monday-Tuesday: blue mood
Wednesday-Thursday: coffee

PIERRE GOVERNORS SPORTS ROUNDUP

Boys wrestling: At the state team duals tournament the defending champion Governors finished in third place. Pierre won in the quarterfinals over Harrisburg, 38-23, but lost in the semifinal to eventual champion Brandon Valley, 38-28. The Governors won the third-place match over Watertown, 36-28, while Brandon Valley won the last two matches over Rapid City Stevens to win the state title, 32-25. The Class “B” team duals champion was Winner, taking down Kimball-White Lake/Platte-Geddes in the finals, 33-25.

Boys wrestling: Of the 14 Pierre wrestlers who qualified for the state individuals tournament, 10 earned places, including two runners-up who didn’t lose until their state championship matches. Those men were Blake Judson at 138 pounds and Deegan Houska at 152. Alex Oedekoven at 106 captured third-place honors while Chance Carda at 182 placed fourth. Taking a fifth-place medal was Tristan Spencer at 132, and losing fifth-place matches to place sixth were Nate Williams at 126, Hayden Shaffer at 145 and Josh Rydberg at 285. Placing seventh were Lucas Chamberlin at 170 and Gavin Stotts at 195. The others who qualified for state but did not place were Lincoln Schoenhard, Noah Williams, Jayden Wiebe and Elijah Boutchee. As a team Pierre finished in fifth place with 138.5 points, trailing champion Brandon Valley 252, Rapid City Stevens 162, Watertown 155.5, and Harrisburg 142 and ahead of Sturgis 117 and Tea Area 100.

Girls wrestling: The Governors might not win the state girls championship every year, but nobody will ever be able to take away the fact they won the very first one. The Governors won it all with 146 points, followed by Canton 129, Spearfish 83, Harrisburg 75, Brookings 61 and Viborg-Hurley 59. Ciara McFarling climaxed the tournament with a resounding pin to win the championship at 285 pounds. Gianna Stangeland at 132 placed second, and Sydney Uhrig at 106 and Abby Lewis at 142 were third-placers. Emalee Larson at 170 and Marlee Shorter at 190 placed fourth, Ireland Templeton at 154 was fifth, and Hattie Baldwin at 126 placed sixth.

Girls basketball: Pierre finished the regular season with a 10-10 record, beating Sioux Falls Roosevelt in the last game, 67-52.

Boys basketball: The Governors gave them a good run, but the top team in Class “AA” prevailed in the last regular-season game. Roosevelt took down the Govs, 63-55, and Pierre ended the regular season with a 9-10 mark. Lincoln Kienholz had 21 points and 10 rebounds against the Rough Riders.

STANLEY COUNTY BUFFALOES SPORTS ROUNDUP

Girls basketball: The Buffaloes’ season ended with a 3-18 record when they lost to Winner, 58-37, in the quarterfinal round of the Region 6A tournament. The deficit was 42-9 at halftime. Jordyn Sosa with seven points was the SCHS high scorer. She, Taylee Stroup and Carlie O’Connor are the seniors who will be lost to graduation.

Wrestling: Stanley County claims another state champion wrestler. Chase Hanson won four straight matches to take the title at 120 pounds in the state “B” tournament. Levi Stover was sixth at 170 pounds. Colton Brady also qualified for state but did not place.

Boys basketball: The Buffaloes ended their regular season with a 69-62 overtime loss to Cheyenne-Eagle Butte. In their postseason opener Tuesday the Buffs defeated Crow Creek, 63-50, led by Lathan Prince with 27 points, Stran Scott with 18 and Cormac Duffy with 11. SCHS hosts Chamberlain Thursday with advancement to the SoDak 16 on the line.

SULLY BUTTES CHARGERS SPORTS ROUNDUP

Girls basketball: The Chargers were #1 seed in Region 2B, and they lived up to that ranking with two wins. In the quarterfinal they defeated North Central, 67-43, led by Lydia Hill with 26 points and Stevie Wittler with 16. In the semifinal round the Chargers trailed early but had a strong second half to defeat Highmore-Harrold, 52-43, led by Stevie Wittler’s 18. Entering the SoDak 16 tonight, the Chargers have a record of 18-4 but still are only the #10 seed.

Boys basketball: In the regular-season finale the Chargers won at Bowdle over North Central, 61-37, leading 20-4 after the first quarter. Dwight Kinney had 14 points and Landon Hepker 10. Sully Buttes had a regular-season record of 9-11. The Chargers got a 30-point game from Kinney and 12 from Marshall Wittler Monday as they beat Sunshine Bible, 78-28, in the first round of Region 2B. However, SBHS was pounded by Potter County in the quarterfinal, 72-26, and the season ends with a 10-12 record. Dwight Kinney and Landon Hepker were high scorers with nine each. The game was a manageable 21-11 lead for the Battlers after one quarter, but by halftime it was 47-18 and out of reach, and the second half was played with a running clock.

Girls wrestling: All three Charger qualifiers earned places at the state tournament. Cateri Yellowhawk at 126 pounds placed fourth, Tahni Yellowhawk at 120 was sixth, and Saige Heath at 190 placed seventh.

WORDS OF WISDOM

“Our first and most pressing problem is how to do away with warfare as a method of solving conflicts.”
— Margaret Mead

COLLEGE SPORTS ROUNDUP

Northern State baseball (Spencer Sarringar): The Wolves were idle last week but head to the Lakeland, Fla., area for seven games during spring-break week. Opponents will be West Virginia Wesleyan twice, D’Youville College, Lewis University, Malone University, Minnesota-Crookston and Grand Valley State.

Wyoming wrestling (Tate Samuelson): The Cowboys were idle last week. They go to the Big 12 championships in Tulsa this Friday and Saturday.

Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball (Nick Wittler): The Tigers had knocked off the #1 seed, Briar Cliff, in the quarterfinals of the GPAC postseason tournament, but they couldn’t win in the semifinals. DWU lost at Jamestown, 81-56. Nick was 4-of-11 (3-of-5) and 2-of-2 for 13 points with three rebounds as his sophomore season came to a close. DWU’s final record was 13-16.

South Dakota State track/field (Addison Eisenbeisz): At the Summit League championships Addy tied for fifth in the high jump at 5’3″. The SDSU women placed third behind champion USD and runner-up NDSU while the Jackrabbit men were league champions followed by USD and NDSU.

Black Hills State track/field (Frank Becker): At the RMAC conference meet in Gunnison, Colo., Frank ran on two BHSU relays. The 4×400 team placed eighth in 3:31.51, and the distance medley team placed sixth in 10:50.48.

South Dakota Mines track/field (Erick Colman): At the RMAC conference meet Erick placed 13th in the shot put at 47’1″ and ninth in the weight throw at 54’1/2″.

University of Sioux Falls track/field (Jessica Lutmer): At the NSIC conference meet Jessica placed 24th in the 5,000-meter run in 18:52.88.

South Dakota men’s basketball (Max Burchill): The Coyotes lost at Kansas City, 70-63, but upset Oral Roberts in Tulsa, 92-87, finishing the regular season at 18-11 overall and 11-7 in the Summit League.

South Dakota State women’s basketball: The Jackrabbits defeated Oral Roberts, 84-48, and did the same to Kansas City, 94-62, finishing the regular season at 21-8 overall and 17-1 in the Summit League.

South Dakota State men’s basketball: SDSU completed a perfect Summit League season with an 18-0 record, escaping Oral Roberts in overtime, 103-102, and defeating Kansas City, 86-75. The overall record is 27-4.

South Dakota women’s basketball (Chloe Lamb): Winning their final three regular-season games, the Coyotes finished in a tie with SDSU for the Summit League regular-season championship with a 17-1 league record and a 24-5 overall mark. USD whipped Kansas City, 71-49, as Chloe was 7-of-14 (1-of-3) and 3-of-4 for 18 points with three rebounds, two steals and four assists. On Senior Day the Coyotes defeated Oral Roberts, 78-49, as Chloe went 7-of-13 *(0-for-4)( and 2-of-2 for 16 points with four rebounds, three assists and two steals. On Monday at Western Illinois the Yotes were down by a point at halftime but outscored WIU in the second half by 45-17 and won going away, 75-48. Chloe was 9-of-20 (4-of-7) and 1-of-1 for 23 points with two rebounds, three assists and three steals. Lamb and the other two fifth-year seniors—Hannah Sjerven (20 points) and Liv Korngable (19 points) accounted for 62 of the team’s 75 points. Chloe passed Ciara Duffy in career three-pointers and is now second on the all-time USD three-point scoring list. Chloe was also named Summit League Player of the Week after averaging 19 points over the three USD games.

Iowa Central CC baseball (Jack Van Camp): The Tritons won three of four games as they spent another weekend in Millington, Tenn. ICCC beat UA Rich Mountain, 7-3; beat Frontier CC, 3-1 in seven innings; lost to Southeast CC, 10-0 in five innings and beat Rend Lake College, 11-2. Jack did not play in any of those games. Now 7-4, the Tritons play at home in Fort Dodge Saturday and Sunday with four games against Bryant & Stratton.

Texas State baseball (Peyton Zabel): The Bobcats had a 5-0 weekend, starting with a 9-2 win over Wichita State. Texas State then swept the weekend over Ohio State, winning 9-1, 8-5 and 6-4. On Tuesday the Bobcats won over Texas-Rio Grande Valley by 7-3. Peyton appeared in the third Ohio State game, entering the game with two out in the third and staying till facing two batters in the sixth. He faced 10 batters, getting four on ground balls and two on fly-outs, walking three and allowing one hit. Texas State faces a challenging weekend with three games against Arizona in Tucson, then a game just down the road from home at Texas on Tuesday.

Colorado Mines women’s basketball (Liz Holter): The Orediggers won their last two regular-season games, 83-58 over Adams State and 53-40 over CSU-Pueblo. In the first game Liz was 1-of-3 (0-for-1) for two points with three rebounds, two assists and three steals. Against Pueblo Liz was 3-of-6 (1-of-2) and 0-for-4 for seven points with two rebounds, two steals and two assists. On Tuesday Mines won its quarterfinal game in the RMAC playoffs, beating Western Colorado, 64-31. Liz was 3-of-6 (1-of-4) and 1-of-1 for eight points to go with a rebound and two assists. Mines hosts the final four teams for semifinals Friday and a championship game Saturday. Mines, now 25-4, plays CSU-Pueblo again in its semifinal game.

COUNTDOWN

Tonight: Georgia Morse Middle School musical (March 3).
1 day: State girls varsity hockey tournament, Aberdeen (March 4-6).
2 days: Summit League men’s/women’s basketball tournaments, Sioux Falls Premier Center (March 5-8).
4 days: Riggs High talent show (March 7).
5 days: Riggs High National Honor Society induction ceremony (March 8).
7 days: State girls basketball tournaments, AA Rapid City Monument Ice Arena, A Brookings Frost Arena, B Watertown Civic Arena (March 10-12).
8 days: State boys varsity hockey tournament, Sioux Falls (March 11-13).
10 days: Daylight Saving Time (March 13).
12 days: Riggs High/Georgia Morse Middle School fine arts festival (March 15).
14 days: State high school visual arts gallery, Rapid City Monument (March 17-19).
14 days: State boys basketball tournaments, AA Sioux Falls Premier Center, A Rapid City Monument Summit Arena, B Aberdeen Barnett Center (March 17-19).
14 days: NCAA Division I wrestling championships, Detroit (March 17-19).
18 days: Buchanan Elementary spring concert (March 21).
19 days: Kennedy Elementary spring concert (March 22).
21 days: Jefferson Elementary spring concert (March 24).
23 days: All-State Band concerts, SDSU (March 26).
24 days: The Oscars, ABC-TV (March 27).
29 days: South Dakota Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, Chamberlain (April 1-2).
29 days: NCAA Division I women’s basketball Final Four, Minneapolis (April 1, 3).
30 days: Rapid City Marshals indoor football home opener (April 2).
30 days: NCAA Division I men’s basketball Final Four, New Orleans (April 2, 4).
31 days: Grammy awards, CBS-TV (April 3).
33 days: Pierre boys/girls track/field opening meet (April 5).
33 days: Pierre boys tennis opening meet (April 5).
35 days: NCAA Division I men’s hockey Frozen Four, Boston (April 7, 9).
37 days: Riggs High jazz night (April 9).
38 days: Palm Sunday (April 10).
42 days: Pierre girls golf opening meet (April 14).
43 days: Good Friday (April 15).
45 days: Easter (April 17).

PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES

• The state wrestling tournaments will return to the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls next February, but will somebody please explain to the public-address announcers there that the school located at Tyndall is not called “BON HOME.” It is Bon Homme, which is correctly pronounced like “Bonham” or “Bon-um.” That is so irritating.
• The two local high school gyms will see SoDak 16 competition tonight (Thursday). At the Riggs High gym at 6:15 Vermillion and St. Thomas More will play their Class “A” game. At Parkview Gym there will be a doubleheader—Red Cloud vs. Florence-Henry in Class “A” at 5:30 p.m. and Herreid-Selby Area vs. White River in Class “B” at 7 p.m.
• I’m sure the lines in front of Zesto in Pierre were long on Tuesday afternoon, opening day for the ice cream place, considering the warm spring-like temperatures. Here in Rapid City my grandson wanted to go downtown to Armadillos, our local version of Zesto, where it was also opening day. They were so busy they were taking orders only through their outdoor window rather than inside where there is seating available. We waited about a half hour as our line of people slowly crept closer to the order window. But hey! They’re opening from now till October, so that must mean spring is approaching.
• The billionaire owners and the millionaire players waited 43 days of doing nothing after the lockout began last fall, and then decided to get together to talk. If you’re a baseball fan, you know the talks broke down, the first six games of the major league season have already been canceled, and baseball, a sport which traditionally causes itself problems and loses fans, is at a continuing work stoppage. Whether we have games at all this season, you do not need to go to Minneapolis for a Twins game or down to Denver for a Rockies game. You are just putting more money in the pockets of these money-hungry officials and players who don’t care an iota about you. There is plenty of baseball around, and it is much more affordable than a big-league game. The high school season will be underway in less than a month. The Legion season will be fun this year with not only the state tournament but also the Central Plains Regional being held in Rapid City, and two South Dakota teams instead of one will be playing in it. Little League games abound in Pierre, Sioux Falls and Rapid City, and there is VFW ball, amateur ball and every other level available. In Pierre you have the Trappers coming back for another Expedition League season. We will have a baseball season. We just may not see it on our TV sets.

HOCKEY UPDATE

Oahe Capitals boys varsity: In the last regular-season game the Caps won in overtime on the road at Sioux Falls #1, 5-4. The Caps had a strong four-goal second period with Carter Sanderson , Keenan Howard, Dre Berndt and Jarron Beck each scoring once. Then in overtime Sanderson put home the game-winning goal. Kieran Duffy made 35 saves as goalkeeper.

State tournaments update: The Oahe Capitals team in the Bantam B state tournament at the Expo Center lost to Rushmore, 4-0, and lost to Watertown, 3-2. The Bantam A team at their state tournament lost to Sioux Falls, 5-0; beat Mitchell, 6-3, and beat Huron, 6-4, to place fifth.

Rapid City Rush: The Rush won two of three in a weekend series in Tulsa, winning 6-1, losing 5-3 and winning 5-2. Rapid City is home this Friday, Saturday and Sunday against Utah.

Badlands Sabres: The Sabres split their last two regular-season games with Gillette, losing 6-2 and winning 3-2 in a shootout. Badlands qualified for the NA34HL playoffs in their first year of existence, but in Game 1 of the opening-round best-of-3 series at home last night the Sabres lost to Great Falls, 7-2. Game 2 will be in Great Falls Saturday and Game 3, if necessary, there Sunday.

Aberdeen Wings: The Wings split 2-1 games with Minot, winning Friday but losing in overtime Saturday. Aberdeen plays Friday and Saturday at St. Cloud.

Sioux Falls Stampede: The Herd lost twice to Tri-City at Kearney, 4-3 in overtime and 4-1. Sioux Falls plays at Fargo Thursday and at Omaha Friday.

Minnesota Wild: It’s been a bad week for the Wild, losing to Toronto 3-1, to Calgary 5-1 and to Calgary again 5-1. Minnesota is at Philadelphia Thursday, at Buffalo Friday, home vs. Dallas Sunday and home vs. the New York Rangers Tuesday.

SOCCER UPDATE

Minnesota United FC: The Major League Soccer season has begun and extends well into October. In their MLS opener the Loons tied at Philadelphia, 1-1. Minnesota has its home opener at Allianz Field in St. Paul against Nashville at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

GOLF UPDATE

PGA Champions Tour (Tom Byrum): Tom’s first event of the year on the Champions Tour saw him tied for 25th at the Cologuard Classic in Tucson. His round of 71-73-68=212 was 4 under par and earned him $16,785. This weekend the tour moves to Newport Beach, Calif., for the Hoag Classic Friday through Sunday.

BASKETBALL UPDATE

Sioux Falls Skyforce: The Force beat Memphis, 101-96, in their only game last week. Sioux Falls returns to G League action at home vs. Texas Thursday.

Minnesota Timberwolves: The Wolves solidified their playoff position in the seventh slot in the Western Conference with a 3-1 week. Minnesota beat Memphis, 119-114; lost to Philadelphia, 133-102; won at Cleveland, 127-122, and beat Golden State, 129-114. The Wolves go to Oklahoma City Friday, play Portland at home Saturday and Monday, and host Oklahoma City next Wednesday.

MIDCO SPORTS NETWORK SCHEDULE

Saturday, 12:30 p.m.: Women’s basketball, Summit League quarterfinals: #1 SDSU vs. Denver.
Saturday, 3 p.m.: Women’s basketball, Summit League quarterfinals: #2 USD vs. Western Illinois.
Saturday, 6 p.m.: Men’s basketball, Summit League quarterfinals: SDSU vs. Omaha
Saturday, 8:30 p.m.: Men’s basketball, Summit League quarterfinals: NDSU vs. Denver.
Sunday, 12:30 p.m.: Women’s basketball, Summit League quarterfinals: Oral Roberts vs. UND.
Sunday, 3 p.m.: Women’s basketball, Summit League quarterfinals: NDSU vs. Kansas City.
Sunday, 6 p.m.: Men’s basketball, Summit League quarterfinals: USD vs. Kansas City.
Sunday, 8:30 p.m.: Men’s basketball, Summit League quarterfinals: Oral Roberts vs. Western Illinois.
Monday, 12:30 p.m.: Women’s basketball, Summit League semifinals.
Monday, 3 p.m.: Women’s basketball, Summit League semifinals.
Monday, 6 p.m.: Men’s basketball, Summit League semifinals.
Monday, 8:30 p.m.: Men’s basketball, Summit League semifinals.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Peace on our continent has been shattered. We now have war in Europe on a scale and of a type we thought belonged to history.”
— Jens Stoltenberg, NATO secretary-general

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

Thursday, March 3:
Kollyns Gorter, Carol (Sanborn) Koehn, Lori Fisk-Neitzel, Kenyon Kuiper, Chad Pitlick, Amanda Redden, Alena Axlund, Leah (Anglin) Hammersley, Will Vogel, Justin Flottmeyer, Jesse Flottmeyer, Jacob Wagoner, Brooke Goff.
— 4th anniversary, Kyle/Ali (Meister) Cichos.
— We honor the memory of Brooks Monfore, who passed away 10 years ago today.

Friday, March 4:
Lauren Jarvis, Kadin Johnson, Sheena Erickson, Sarah (Shepherd) Schulte, Becca Jordre, Chris Schumacher, Drew Nafus, Ken Starks, Jon Gober, Tamra Downs, Claribel (Seaman) Stahl, Holly (Curtis) Thompson, Nanch (Lamb) Weischedel.

Saturday, March 5:
Kera (Olson) Boaz, Drew Osnes, Brandon Ogan, Jill Aadland, Brenna Martin, Katelyn Decker, Mary Deichert, Jud Holzwarth, Jessica Smith, Austin Myers, Genie (Wood) Lauing, Cindi Pochop, Brecken Ottenbacher, Parker Anderson, Carter Gilmore, Pat Swartz, John Sutton, Evangeline Baughn.

Sunday, March 6:
Sara (Goeden) Richardson, Octavious Kerver, Laura Waack, Erin Briggs, Matt Hanson, Debra Nold, Ryan Krueger, Jessica (Callahan) Carr, Cameron Ahlers, Kay McLain.
— 24th anniversary, Carl/Chris (Riggs) Hawkinson.
— 46th anniversary, David/LaDonna Zellmer.

Monday, March 7:
Kevin Grunewaldt, Emily Ketteler, Anne Gormley, Matt Graves, Jeremy Dodson, Dana Hess, Kim Easland, Greg Goodman, Estella Jungman, Anna Weingart, Jenny Sampson, Sally Christenson, Nikki (Grandpre) Wilson, Gray Schuetzle, Shiela Mangan, Charlene (Squires) Keller.
— 7th anniversary, Jeremy/Kelly Kelley.
— We honor the memory of Robert Disburg, who passed away 19 years ago today

Tuesday, March 8:
Cassie (Kinsman) Deffenbaugh, Kerry Freidel, Eric Feiler, Cade Currier, Pat Witte, John Hamilton, Jessica (Paxton) Deal, Brad Johnston, Dewayne Robbins, Stephen Nelson, Katie (Thompson) Rochelle.
— 19th anniversary, Sam/Nicole Molseed.

Wednesday, March 9:
Kasi Nystrom, Theresa Beastrom, Allison Meintsma, Alex McLain, Ted Parsons, Terry Hipple, Caleb Olson, Raeann Schlenker, Gretta Durick, Jon Schaack, Larry Kuszmaul.

Thursday, March 10:
Anna Bondy, Adeline Schutz, Tanner Prince, Carol Gengler, Jerid Jaeger, Marty Javurek, Ryan Bisbee, Lincoln Bisbee, Thielynn Wire, Brian Drapeaux, Barak Tibbs, Travis Ruby, Jesse Beesley.
— 4th anniversary, Sheridan/Camille Cronin.

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

Mattie Duffy of the basketball team and Colton Brady of the wrestling team were honored as Stanley County Athletes of the Week last week. Meanwhile, at Riggs High two members of the wrestling teams, Jayden Wiebe and Gianna Stangeland, were named Athletes of the Week this week by the Pierre Athletic Coaches Association.

Rodd Bauck, whose “day job” is that of choral music director at Riggs High School, was installed last week as coordinator of contemporary music at Lutheran Memorial Church.

Marion Brakke, 94, Presho, passed away Feb. 19 at Bethel Lutheran Home in Madison. Her funeral will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 12, at American Lutheran Church in Presho. Marion graduated from Presho High School in 1946. She worked at a bank in Presho and attended Nettleton College in Sioux Falls. She married Dean Brakke in 1948. They lived and worked on their farm until 2016 when they moved to Edgewood in Pierre. Marion is survived by her sons, Curtis (Barbara) Brakke and Verne (Debbie) Brakke of Pierre; her daughter, Karen (Wayne) Tuschen of Madison; 12 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; her brother, Rodney Lillebo, and her sisters, Gloria Leichtnam, Deanna Johnson and Judth Cronin. Among those who preceded her in death were her husband, her parents, three brothers, her son Marc, and her granddaughter Beth.

The number of active COVID-19 cases in South Dakota was at 4,166 as of yesterday’s Department of Health update, and that is the lowest number since last summer. Three deaths Tuesday and six more reported yesterday brought the state’s toll to 2,814, however. Fifty of the state’s 66 counties still are considered to have high or substantial community spread.

With the deadline for candidates to file petitions still four weeks away, another candidate has emerged seeking the seat in the U.S. House of Representatives now held by Rep. Dusty Johnson. The newest candidate is Black Hawk attorney Ryan Ryder on the Democratic side.

Earl Grandpre, 96, formerly of Conde, passed away Feb. 27 at Mother Joseph Manor in Aberdeen. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Groton. Mr. Grandpre was a veteran of World War II, serving in Europe. After his service he returned home to farm with his father. He is survived by six children, Paula Thomas (Ray Otterson) of Fargo, Suzanne (Kim) Gross of Sioux Falls, Bob (Becky) Grandpre of Elkhorn, Neb., formerly of Pierre, Donn (Renee) Grandpre of Aberdeen, Brian Grandpre of Aberdeen and Joan (James) Monson of Aberdeen; 13 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

The Riggs High Fine Arts Booster Club last week named Emma Reitzel of the band as Performer of the Week.

Hallie Getz, who earned her bachelor’s degree from SDSU, has now completed two years of graduate study at USD to earn her Master of Business Administration degree.

Emery Byer, 89, Pierre, died Feb. 23 at Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls. Visitation will be at 6 p.m. and a prayer service at 7 tonight (Thursday) at the Isburg Funeral Chapel. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church. Emery served with the U.S. Army, including a tour of duty in England. He spent his adult life as a carpenter. Among his accomplishments was working on the original viewing center at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Emery married Mary Alice Kranz in 1961, and they moved to Pierre in 1963. He is survived by his wife; his children, Keith (Janette) Byer,m Brian Byer, Marcy (Dave) Peterson and Tom Byer, and four grandchildren.

Former Pierre resident Calvin Jones, who is best known as a phenomenal pianist and musician, has lived in Ukraine for many years. Last week as Russia invaded that country from the east Calvin and his wife, Inga, left their home in the capital city of Kyiv and were two of thousands who fled for their lives. Last Thursday night he posted, “Arrived in Ternopil at a friend’s apartment after a day of hell. Amazing deliverance by God.” Among the trials they had faced that day was their Fiat breaking down, due to a clutch that burned out because of the constant stop-and-go of long lines of traffic. Somehow they managed to find a tow truck that would come out from the city two hours, load up their Fiat and haul it and them into Ternopil. The city of Ternopil is in the western part of Ukraine closer to the border with Poland. Early this week we saw that Calvin and Inga had made it safely into the neighboring country of Romania although it took a 22-hour “without incident” wait near the border where thousands of fleeing Ukrainians had gathered. Pierre native Tanya Manus, a reporter for the Rapid City Journal, yesterday had a story in the paper after interviewing Calvin by phone. The Joneses are currently safe in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, and living in an apartment friends found for them. They are deciding what to do and where to live next. In the story Calvin was quoted as saying he hopes to resume musical tours at some point in the future. Manus’ story in the Journal said the Joneses still have relatives and friends back in Kyiv for whom they are very worried, and in fact one of Inga’s relatives has been killed in the Russian attacks.

Harrisburg High School senior band member Eli Schipper, whose dad is Pierre native Jason Schipper, won the Outstanding Musician award at Dordt College’s Honor Band event.

A primary race is in store for Republican voters in District 24. Mary (Morris) Weinheimer announced this week she will be a candidate for the House of Representatives. The two incumbents, Mike Weisgram and Will Mortenson, are also expected to seek re-election.

Gala (Lahman) Byrum, a native of Blunt who graduated from Sully Buttes High School in 1976, died Feb. 21 in a car accident. She had returned to South Dakta to attend a grandchild’s wedding when the accident occurred. Her funeral will be held at 10:30 a.m. this Saturday, March 5, at Oahe Presbyterian Church in Pierre, followed by burial at the Blunt cemetery. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Feigum Funeral Home. Gala, the oldest of four children of the late Galen and Jean Lahman, had been making her home in Alaska and Sioux Falls over the last few months. She was the mother of three children—Joshua, Nathan and Nicole—and had six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Among those who preceded her in death were her parents; her sister, Valauri Lahman, and a great-grandchild, Briar.

Ron Leidholt, 59, died unexpectedly in Sioux Falls on Feb. 24. His funeral was held Wednesday at First United Methodist Church. A 1981 graduate of Riggs High School, Ron attended Mitchell Vo-Tech, graduating in 1985. He and Cari Jorgenson were married in 1984. Ron worked for Leidholt McNeely and Leidholt, then for the South Dakota State Lottery, and finally for United Parcel Service. He is survived by his wife, Cari Leidholt; his three sons, Lukus (Brittany) Leidholt of Herreid, Sam (Ashley) Leidholt of Minnetonka, Minn., and Ben (girlfriend Stacey) Leidholt of Sioux Falls; five grandchildren; his brother, Ken (Johna) Leidholt of Pierre; his parents-in-law, Rick and Carolyn Jorgenson of Fort Pierre; his sister-in-law, Kendra (Doug) Vieweg in Germany; his stepmother, Corrine Leidholt of Mission, Texas, and his stepbrothers, T.J. (Jamie) Wiebe of Northfield, Minn., Troy (Jeri) Wiebe of Pierre, and Trevor (Amber) Wiebe of Fort Pierre. Among those who preceded him in death were his parents, Jerry Leidholt and Shirley Leidholt.

The Capital Journal named Julia Jones as Pierre’s Citizen of the Year for 2022.

Regina Stoeser, eighth grader in the Harrisburg school district, was the #1 seed in the girls 120-pound weight class heading into the state tournament. She lived up to that standing by sweeping her opponents and winning her state championship. She finished her season with a record of 29-3. Regina is the daughter of Chance and Erika (Rounds) Stoeser.

Harvey Holzwarth, 90, Fort Pierre,m died at home Feb. 21. A memorial service will be held at a later date. He grew up on a farm near Hazel and graduated from Hazel High School. He served with the U.S. Air Force, including service all over Europe. He earned a degree in agriculture and landscape design at South Dakota State College. He married Theone “Toni” Baxter in 1957, and they moved to Pierre. Harvey worked for the Department of Transportation. He was responsible for many years for the design of interstate highway rest areas, weigh stations and landscape projects. He built a patio at the old governor’s mansion for Governor Janklow in 1982. He was the designer of the original Hilger’s Gulch. Harvey retired in 1995 after 35 1/2 years with the DOT. He is survived by his wife, Toni; his children, Jeffrey Holzwarth of Custer, Todd Holzwarth of Fort Pierre, Tracy Holzwarth of Fort Perre, and Terrence Holzwarth of Castle Rock, Colo.; two grandchildren; five great-grandchildren, and four siblings, Dr. David Holzwarth of Yankton, June James of Hazel, Carolyn Stoll of Olympia, Wash., and Robert Holzwarth of Hazel.

Buzzer-beaters and heart-stopping endings are nothing new to tournament basketball. Tracie (Seyfer) Vogel is married to Nate Vogel, who is head women’s basketball coach at Texas A&M-International in Laredo, and they had a memorable finish this week. In a first-round game of their Lone Star Conference tournament Tuesday, his Dustdiggers were down by nine points in the fourth quarter but managed to force the game into overtime. Then they were trailing by three points as time was running out, but one of Nate’s players hit a three-pointer with :02.8 left to tie the game, and she was fouled in the process of shooting so had a free throw coming to get the potential winning point. But the girl missed the free throw. The rebound of the missed shot was snared by a teammate, but her shot from the lane missed, and the ball fell to the floor. There another teammate under the basket picked up the ball and laid it in for the winning basket with :00.4 left. The team now has to go (gets to go!) all the way up to Frisco, Texas, for the quarterfinals of the tournament where the Dustdiggers have to play the #1 seed, West Texas A&M, first.

PONDER THIS

Every cold and dark phase ends and hence a beautiful phase of warmth and vibrance. Don’t believe? Just notice March!”
— Anamika Mishra