SPEARFISH – Mobridge-Pollock used a stellar start to set the tone, then produced a strong finish to collect a Class A State Girls’ Basketball Tournament win on Friday.

The Tigers bolted out to a 9-0 lead and then used a key 7-0 surge down the stretch in a 50-40 win over Mount Vernon-Plankinton at the Donald E. Young Center.

“Great bounce back win for the girls,” said Mobridge-Pollock coach Stephen Hettick. “They really showed up focused and aggressive.”

Tegan Konold scored five early points to fuel the quick getaway that allowed the Tigers to play with a lead the entire game. Mobridge-Pollock led by as much as 14 in the second quarter.

The Tigers still owned a 30-16 lead midway through the third period when the tide began to turn a bit.

MVP slowly inched its way back into the contest, eventually slicing the deficit down to 39-34 on a 3-pointer by Taryn Hegg with 6:20 remaining in the game.

Mobridge-Pollock was up 41-35 before scoring seven unanswered points to put the game away. Faith Heil and Blake Thompson sandwiched baskets around a 3-pointer from Brooke Bain, as the Tigers opened a 48-35 cushion in the closing minutes.

All five of the Mobridge-Pollock starters scored in the final period to help secure the win.

“They played great team ball and made some big shots at key times,” Hettick said. “Did a good job of withstanding their runs and controlling the ball.”

Thompson finished with a game-high totals 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead the victory. Charley Henderson followed with 11 points, Heil contributed eight, Konold added seven, and Bain tossed in six.

Northern State recruit Reagan Rus had 15 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Titans.

Mobridge-Pollock, 19-4 on the season, meets Sioux Valley for fifth place at 1:45 (MDT) this afternoon.

“Rest and refuel. Both teams are going to have tired legs (Saturday),” Hettick said. “Have to take care of the ball and control possessions and make them count.”

MOBRIDGE-POLLOCK (19-4): Tegan Konold 3 0-0 7, Brooke Bain 2 1-2 6, Charley Henderson 4 3-4 11, Faith Heil 4 0-0 8, Blake Thompson 7 0-0 18. Totals 20-52 4-6 50.

MOUNT VERNON-PLANKINTON (19-6): Reagan Rus 3 7-14 15, Madalyn Lorang 2 0-0 4, Alyssa Johnson 1 0-0 2, Taryn Hegg 3 0-2 8, Suri Schmidt 1 0-0 3, Layce Bruns 3 0-0 8. Totals 13-49 7-16 40.

Mobridge-Pollock 15 22 35 50

Mount Vernon-Plankinton 5 15 26 40

3-point field goals – Konold, Bain, Thompson 4; Rus 2, Hegg 2, Schmidt, Bruns 2. Total fouls – Mobridge-Pollock 9; Mount Vernon-Plankinton 10. Rebounds – Mobridge-Pollock 38 (Thompson 12); Mount Vernon-Plankinton 33 (Rus 10). Turnovers – Mobridge-Pollock 13; Mount Vernon-Plankinton 14. Assists – Mobridge-Pollock 13 (Konold 6); Mount Vernon-Plankinton 8 (Rus 3). Blocked shots – Mobridge-Pollock 3 (Henderson 3); Mount Vernon-Plankinton 0. Steals – Mobridge-Pollock 10 (Henderson 5); Mount Vernon-Plankinton 6 (Rus).