SIOUX FALLS LINCOLN 44, MARSHALL 41

Wisconsin, North Dakota, and now South Dakota. This marks the fourth state this winter I have spent time charting. Saturday is usually a day when I chart more than one team, but today was a one game only day and to see the Minnesota team, I had to get to Sioux Falls. Marshall was the target. The Tigers have had a tough week. They lost two 2AAA games to New Ulm and Waseca on Tuesday and Friday and then traveled across the border for a battle with the 17-3 Patriots. The scrappy, outsized Tigers gave the bigger team a battle falling 44-41. Lincoln started two players over six foot. Marshall started two players under 5-5.

And it was the smaller Tigers that pounced out of the gate first staking an 8-2 lead after the first three minutes. In fact Marshall scored their first three touches of the night. The Patriots did overcome their sluggish beginning and Marshall created breathing room right at the first quarter buzzer with a steal and lay up by Lenei Estrada (15-11). Lincoln did manage to shave one point off the margin at the half as neither team torched the nets (20-17). At the 4:17 mark of the third quarter, Lincoln pulled in front on an old fashioned &1 steal lay up by Mya Wilson (28-26). It appeared that SFL had solved their stagnant start (33-28). Marshall refused to go quietly into that good night. The Tigers could never cut the margins lower than three points. Estrada scored on a pair of free throws with 4.2 seconds left and then called time out to set up their press. SFL went deep, but they couldn’t handle the hot ball and Marshall had a chance with three seconds left, but 94 feet away. After another time out the Tigers got the ball in, dribbled up court, but never got a shot off.

The one aspect of the game that tipped the scales was the field goal percentage. SFL, in two point range was 50%; Marshall was 32%. To illustrate this point further, the Tigers had 19 attempts inside, but only converted 26% against the taller Patriots. Lincoln scored at a 64% clip with only 14 attempts.

Both teams, true to the trend that is apparently sweeping the country, only had one senior (both of whom started). It was senior day, or a better term for it would be Courtney Klatt day, at Lincoln.

SD games have a couple of different wrinkles compared to Minnesota. The home team wears white; there are four eight minute quarters; and the shot clock is in use—35 second variety.

Marshall is now 17-8 with one week left in the regular season.

I have now charted 69% of the teams in AAA. I now have crossed off 94 of the top 100 teams in the state.

Team	PP100	scorer	Distributor	D stops
Sioux Falls Lincoln	74.6	Morgan Hansen 12	Emma Osmundson 8	Sydnaya Dunn 10
Marshall	68.3	Hannah Meier 16	Two with 5	Hannah Meier 10

TRENCH PLAYER: Despite being in foul trouble for most of the first half, 6-1 sophomore guard Morgan Hansen of Lincoln, who is already drawing D1 interest.