RAPID CITY – After exchanging blow for blow through two and a half quarters Friday, the Groton Area Tigers watched Sioux Falls Christian pull away in the final 10 minutes of play for an 86-56 win in the consolation round of the State A Boys’ Basketball Tournament in Rapid City.

Fifth-seeded Groton led 20-17 at the end of the first quarter, then built that lead to as many as six points early in the second quarter. 

The eighth-seeded Chargers, however, responded with an 8-0 run and both teams settled in for a battle. Christian tipped in a bucket at the buzzer to take a 37-35 lead into the break, then never trailed in the second half despite several third-quarter pushes from the Tigers.

Christian then opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back three-pointers, stretching what was a 13-point lead into a 19-point edge, effectively taking the wind out of Groton’s sails.

“I thought our kids came out and competed today,” said Groton coach Brian Dolan. “To be in a tie or one-possession game for 2 ½ quarters in the game, we put ourselves in a good position to be successful, but some things in the game change with the flow of the game and we weren’t able to adjust.”

The Chargers used a strong inside presence and an active transition game to both keep pace early and pull away late.That translated to a blistering 60 percent shooting performance for the Chargers.

Groton, meanwhile, was 20-for-50 from the field for 40 percent.

Lane Tietz finished with 18 points for the Tigers. Kaden Kurtz added 10 and Jayden Zak finished with nine.

Christian was led by Brooks Nelson with 18 points, going 8-for-11 from the field. Tayton Snyder added 16 points, and Ethan Bruns had 14 points and nine rebounds. Nathan Koole came off the bench for a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Groton will play Lakota Tech in the seventh-place contest at noon (MDT) today.

“I’m proud of our effort,” Dolan said following Friday’s contest. “We get one more crack at it (Saturday).”

SIOUX FALLS CHRISTIAN (15-10): Tayton Snyder 6 2-4 16, Cole Snyder 1 0-0 2, Carson Engbers 1 0-0 2, Ethan Bruns 4 6-8 14, Brooks Nelson 8 0-0 18, Britton Mulder 3 3-3 9, Jaden Witte 3 3-3 9, Isasiah Mulder 2 0-0 4, Nathan Koole 6 0-0 12. Totals 34-57 14-18 86.

GROTON (20-5): Jayden Zak 3 1-1 9, Wyatt Hearnen 3 0-0 6, Lane Tietz 5 5-6 18, Cole Simon 2 0-0 5, Kaden Kurtz 4 1-6 10, Jacob Zak 2 1-2 5, Tate Larson 1 1-2 3. Totals 20-50 9-17 56.

Sioux Falls Christian 17 37 63 86

Groton 20 35 50 56

3-point field goals – Snyder 2, Nelson 2; Jayden Zak 2, Tietz 3, Simon, Kurtz. Total fouls – Sioux Falls Christian 17; Groton 17. Rebounds – Sioux Falls Christian 36 (Koole 10, Bruns 9); Groton 21 (Tietz 4, Larson 4). Turnovers – Sioux Falls Christian 8; Groton 10. Assists – Sioux Falls Christian 16 (Snyder 4); Groton 9. Steals – Sioux Falls Christian 8; Groton 6.