In two tightly contested games, the Sully Buttes Chargers girls and boys basketball teams were pushed on both ends of the court by Timber Lake, with the Panthers edging the Charger girls 39-38, while the Charger boys used a second half surge to earn a 58-48 victory over the Panthers Tuesday night in Onida.
In the opening game of the doubleheader, the Charger girls led 13-10 after the first, 20-14 at the half, and 35-27 after three. A cold shooting fourth quarter, combined with a tough Timber Lake defense took Sully Buttes down, as the Chargers were outscored 12-3 in the final stanza, and had a game winning layup blocked as time expired. Once again Payge Bakker led all scorers, finishing with 20 points, while fellow senior Olivia Olson hit for nine. Sully Buttes drops to 4-7 on the season. Timber Lake was led by Jaylee Schoelerman with 16, and Natalie Lawrence with 11 for the 7-4 Panthers.
In the boys game, Sully Buttes came out cold and the Panthers ran past the Chargers taking a 32-25 halftime lead. The Chargers righted the ship in the second half, hitting for 33 points, and holding Timber Lake to 16. Wesley Wittler led all scorers as he finished his night with 30 points while Gavin Colson added 14. The Chargers up their record to 5-3 while Treyden Beer was the only Panther in double figures, finishing with 14 points. The Panthers’ record drops to 7-4.
The Sully Buttes girls will be in Ft. Pierre Thursday night to take on the Stanley County Lady Buffaloes, with a 7:45 tip, and Saturday the Charger boys will be in Elkton for the Dakota Valley Classic, as they take on the Deubrook Area Dolphins, with a 2:30 scheduled start. Both games can be heard on Country 95.3FM with DT Meyer on the call.
