SPEARFISH – Hamlin relied on its staple throughout the season to open up the Class A State Girls’ Basketball Tournament.

The Chargers received another stellar performance from their guards to fuel a 65-53 first round win over Mobridge-Pollock on Thursday afternoon.

Hamlin nailed four 3-pointers in the third quarter to turn a three-point lead into a 17-point advantage.

“That’s kind of the way that we are,” said Hamlin coach Tim Koisti. “Once we start hitting some shots with the 3-point shooting that we have, Addie Neuendorf hit a big shot and then Addie Steffensen hit a big shot, you get a couple of threes to fall and it goes that way.”

The Chargers led 35-32 after four straight points from Mobridge-Pollock’s Brooke Bain before things turned in a big way.

“We were right there,” said Tigers coach Stephen Hettick. “We had some unfortunate foul trouble that took Blake (Thompson) out and that definitely didn’t help the flow of the offense.”

Hamlin went on a 16-2 run to turn a one-possession game into a commanding lead heading into the fourth quarter.

“Hamlin got hot in the second half and hit some big shots,” Hettick said.

While Neuendorf and Addie Steffensen started the scoring surge, it was Jo Steffensen who finished it with a 3-pointer right before the buzzer to end the third period.

“We ran a set that got kicked back out to Jo,” Koisti said, “and she hit a big three for us.”

Hamlin also closed the first half in a flurry, scoring four points in the final 18 seconds to turn a 31-28 lead into a seven-point halftime advantage.

“The little run there at the end of the second quarter was huge just to give us a little bit of confidence and a bit of cushion,” Koisti said.

While the Chargers were connecting on their shots, Mobridge-Pollock struggled to find the range, especially in the third quarter.

“All in all we just kind of buckled down defense and decided, hey we’ve got to get some stops, and we’ve got to get some points,” Koisti said, “and from there it rolled.”

Koisti also pointed out the performance of freshman center Addison Jensen.

“What a game by Addie Jensen. She just gets some blocked shots, and has been getting better and better down on that left block,” Koisti said. “Once the guards penetrate they can drop off to her and she’s been finishing pretty well.”

Addie Steffensen scored 19 points, Neuendorf contributed 18, and Jo Steffensen added 12 to lead the Hamlin scoring.

The Tigers were led by Faith Heil with 13 points, and Bain with 11.

Mobridge-Pollock, 18-4 on the season, faces Mount Vernon-Plankinton in consolation action at Noon (MDT) today.

“We just have to get a good night’s sleep, and wake up ready to go with a fresh mind,” Hettick said. “We will make some adjustments on defense in our walk-through in the morning.”

Hamlin, 20-3 on the season, faces top-seeded Sioux Falls Christian in the semifinals at 6 (MDT) this evening.

“Sioux Falls Christian is obviously … a top team for many reasons. The benefit is we’ve played them, so we kind of know a little about their pressure,” Koisti said. “So it will help a lot to have seen them, especially on their home floor. Their press is pretty good, so we know exactly what to expect from that.”

There is one main key heading into the contest, according to Koisti.

“The biggest key is going to be rebounding. The last time that we played them, they’re very good rebounders. They’ve got good size and good speed, and they are aggressive to the rim, and aggressive to get rebounds,” Koisti said.

In the first encounter Koisti said SFC had around 18 offensive rebounds in a 58-47 win over his team.

“We absolutely cannot do something like that,” Koisti said. “Rebounding is going to be mentioned and it’s going to be a huge key for us.”

MOBRIDGE-POLLOCK (18-4): Tegan Konold 1 5-6 7, Brooke Bain 3 5-6 11, Charley Henderson 3 1-2 8, Faith Heil 4 5-6 13, Blake Thompson 1 4-4 7, Jayda Thompson 0 2-4 2, Pacey Konold 1 0-0 2, Cheyenne Rath 1 0-0 3. Totals 14-46 22-28 53.

HAMLIN (20-3): Addie Steffensen 5 6-8 19, Addison Neuendorf 5 6-6 18, Issie Steffensen 3 0-0 7, Jo Steffensen 5 1-3 12, Addison Jensen 4 0-0 8, Ava Taschner 0 1-2 1. Totals 22-53 14-20 65.

Mobridge-Pollock 16 28 34 53

Hamlin 18 35 51 65

3-point field goals – Henderson, B. Thompson, Rath; A. Steffensen 3, A. Neuendorf 2, I. Steffensen, J. Steffensen. Total fouls – Mobridge-Pollock 15; Hamlin 17. Rebounds – Mobridge-Pollock 43 (Heil 10, T. Konold 7, Bain 7); Hamlin 27 (A. Steffensen 5, Neuendorf 5). Turnovers – Mobridge-Pollock 15; Hamlin 5. Assists – Mobridge-Pollock 9 (T. Konold 3); Hamlin 12 (A. Steffensen 3, Neuendorf 3, I. Steffensen 3, J. Steffensen 3). Blocked shots – Mobridge-Pollock 2; Hamlin 5 (Neuendorf 3, Jensen 2). Steals – Mobridge-Pollock 5 (Bain 2); Hamlin 9 (Neuendorf 6).