BROOKINGS – Sisseton not only took advantage of its size inside Thursday afternoon, the Redmen also produced from the outside to secure an opening round win during the Class A Girls’ State Basketball Tournament.

Sisseton got 36 points out of the post, nailed five key 3-pointers, and claimed a 57-47 win over Mount Vernon-Plankinton at the Dacotah Bank Center.

“I think that’s what’s so great about our team is, anybody can step up at any given time,” said Sisseton coach Sara Lincoln. “I just love that they have each other’s back out there. If one is struggling or they’re getting double or triple-teamed, somebody is ready to shoot the ball.”

Sisseton center Krista Langager scored 12 of her team’s first 14 points. When the Titans began focusing on her, outside shots opened up.

MVP was leading 18-17 late in the first half when Ruby Rice made back-to-back three-point field goals to give the Redmen a 23-21 edge at the break.

Rice made another trey to start the second-half scoring, before teammates Emmalee Nielsen and Tara Nelson also connected from distance and soon Sisseton owned an eight-point advantage.

“When we have our big post down on the bottom getting triple teamed, they know she’s a key player in our game, that’s when we have to step up,” Rice said.

The Titans knew about Sisseton’s inside attack, so they tried control that, and as a result, the Redmen made them pay from the perimeter.

“We knew we had to gamble on some things going into this game,” said Mount Vernon-Plankinton coach Preston Kristensen. “That kind of separated the score there in the third quarter. They hit some threes on us.”

Rice knew that the team’s outside shooters had to take advantage when opportunities arose.

“When they triple team down on the bottom and they leave us wide open, that’s our time,” Rice said.

The Titans hung tough and trailed just 36-32 late in the third quarter before Chloe Langager and Krista Langager both scored through contact for conventional three-point plays as Sisseton opened a 12-point advantage heading into the final quarter.

The sisters both had dominant games as Krista finished with 24 points and six rebounds, and Chloe had 12 points and 14 rebounds.

“Very powerful posts, really skilled,” Kristensen said. “We contested them really well I thought in our eyes on some shots and they still went in. It’s one of those things, you can only do so much. Our girls played them the best we could.”

Lincoln said that the Langagers are used to physical play and toughen up against each other on a regular basis.

“I think it’s because they play defense on one another in practice, so I think that helps a little bit,” Lincoln said. “They really worked hard and they played through some of that stuff. They play through injuries, they play through almost anything, so a little slap on the arm isn’t going to stop them.”

Krista said she knew she would attract a crowd in the lane and was prepared.

“I just keep it high, go up strong,” Langager said, “because I knew they were going to be on me during this game.”

The junior was quick to credit her teammates for getting the ball inside throughout the contest.

“They did a good job. I give my credit to my guards,” Langager said. “They work hard out there to get the ball up and down the court, and I’m just there to clean it up.”

The Redmen consistently made the extra pass to find open teammates for high-percentage shots and finished with 14 assists in the contest, led by Nielsen with eight.

“That’s what we’ve been telling them all week,” Lincoln said. “Once we move the ball, there’s always somebody open, because they’re so smart out there, and they’re so quick, they know what to do, they know how to play basketball, and they did their job today.”

That chemistry and teamwork are keys to the squad, according to Rice, who finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.

“Our key thing to do is just play as a team every game,” Rice said. “Every single time, it’s win or lose as a team. We just have to put it out on the floor and do what we can.”

Reagan Rus and Emilee Fox each scored 16 points to lead the Titans, which slipped to 18-6 on the season. MVP had a tough time shooting from distance, making just 5 of 33 attempts from three-point range, not nearly enough to defeat the Redmen on this occasion.

“They’re a really good team. We knew the challenges going in. End of the day, I thought our girls competed hard,” Kristensen said. “You’re going to have nights where shots aren’t going in, but that didn’t break our spirit. We kept on competing, we kept on shooting. I thought we had good looks.”

Sisseton, now 22-1 on the season, will now take on Vermillion in the semifinals at 6 tonight. The top-seeded Redmen fell in the semis last season on the way to a third-place finish at the state tournament. Krista Langager said the squad just needs to value each possession in tonight’s contest.

“We’re just going to have to work as a team, take it one possession at a time, one play at a time,” Langager said. “We just can’t get too far ahead of ourselves.”

MOUNT VERNON-PLANKINTON (18-6): Reagan Rus 4 8-10 16, Vanessa Hofman 2 0-0 5, Berkeley Engelland 02-2 2, Emilee Fox 6 0-0 16, Kyia Schmidt 2 0-0 4, Whitney Payne 0 0-2 0, Taryn Hegg 2 0-0 4. Totals 16-54 10-14 47.

SISSETON (22-1): Hannah Leverson 0 4-4 4, Ruby Rice 4 0-0 11, Emmalee Nielsen 10-2 3, Chloe Langager 5 2-3 12, Krista Langager 9 6-6 24, Tara Nelson 1 0-0 3. Totals 20-49 12-15 57.

Mount Vernon-Plankinton 13 21 32 47

Sisseton 14 23 44 57

3-point field goals – Hoffman, Fox (4); Rice (3), Nielsen, Nelson. Total fouls – Mount Vernon-Plankinton 14; Sisseton 10. Rebounds – Mount Vernon-Plankinton 30 (Rus 6, Fox 6); Sisseton 40 (C. Langager 14, Rice 9). Turnovers – Mount Vernon-Plankinton 8; Sisseton 12. Assists – Mount Vernon-Plankinton 10 (Fox 4); Sisseton 14 (Nielsen 8, Leverson 5). Blocked Shots – Mount Vernon-Plankinton 0; Sisseton 2. Steals – Mount Vernon-Plankinton 5 (Hoffman 3, Engelland 2); Sisseton 4 (Leverson 2, Nielsen 2).