“We’re just showing people that South Dakota kids can play basketball,” Elite’s Kristin Rotert said. “We think we can play with the best players in the nation.”
They wouldn’t get any argument from Missouri, which saw South Dakota knock down 11 of its 22 3-point attempts in the championship game.
South Dakota, which upset two-time defending champion Daubert Pinnacle Nebraska I earlier in the tournament, made 54 3-pointers in the four-day Showcase. While that was four short of the tournament record, it was more than enough to lead the Elite to the top.
Jill Young did most of the damage from the outside, nailing four treys in the game’s first seven minutes and finishing 5-of-6 from behind the arc on her way to a game-high 17 points and tournament MVP honors.
Five of the seven South Dakota players hit 3-pointers in the championship game. Abby Plucker finished with 12 points while Rotert and Megan Doyle each had nine points and five rebounds.
South Dakota trailed for a grand total of 32 seconds in the first three minutes of the game before taking the lead for good on — you guessed it — a Jill Young 3-pointer with 12:46 to go in the first half.
Young’s three was the start of a 10-0 South Dakota run that gave the Elite a nine-point lead. South Dakota led by seven at halftime, then went on runs of 10-2 and 11-2 midway through the second half to put the game away.
The Elite led by as many as 24 late in the game while outscoring Missouri 33-3 from 3-point land and shooting 47 percent from the floor.
Missouri, which upset another tournament favorite in the KC Keys in the semifinals, got 12 points and six rebounds from Ashley Dresser. Erica Groose added nine points for the Rage, who shot 39 percent from the field.
S.D. ELITE 58, MISSOURI RAGE 40
MISSOURI RAGE
Ashley Dresser 6-11 0-0 12, Brandi Roberts 2-5 1-3 5, Rachel
Baker 0-3 0-0 0, Lauren Nolke 1-5 0-0 3, Laken Enochs 2-9 0-0 4,
Spenser Deeken 0-1 0-0 0, Erica Akins 3-5 1-2 7, Erica Groose
4-7 1-2 9. Totals 18-46 3-7 40.
SOUTH DAKOTA ELITE
Jenny Miller 1-4 0-0 3, Jill Young 6-7 0-0 17, Kristin Rotert
4-12 1-3 9, Megan Doyle 3-5 1-2 9, Sara Puthoff 0-2 0-0 0, Liz
Helsper 2-8 2-2 8, Abby Plucker 5-7 1-2 12. Totals 21-45 5-9 58.
Halftime — South Dakota 28, Missouri 21.
Three-point goals — Missouri 1-13 (Nolke 1-4, Enochs 0-6,
Dresser 0-1, Deeken 0-1, Akins 0-1). South Dakota 11-22 (Young
5-6, Doyle 2-4, Helsper 2-3, Plucker 1-3, Miller 1-1, Rotert
0-3, Puthoff 0-2). Rebounds — Missouri 28 (Dresser 6, Groose 5),
South Dakota 24 (Rotert 5, Doyle 5). Total fouls — Missouri 13,
South Dakota 6. Fouled out — None. Turnovers — Missouri 13,
South Dakota 8.
