Basketball Recap: Mahpiya Luta Extends Winning Streak to 12

Crusaders

Previous Games

01/25/25 vs Belle Fourche	62-37
01/21/25 @ Spearfish	59-49
01/18/25 vs Vermillion	56-34
01/14/25 vs Lakota Tech	77-51
01/11/25 vs Todd County	70-16
+ 7 more games

Mahpiya Luta put another one in the bag on Saturday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past the Belle Fourche Broncs 62-37. Given the Crusaders' advantage in MaxPreps' South Dakota basketball rankings (they are ranked eighth, while the Broncs are ranked 56th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Leading Mahpiya Luta to victory were Jodene Big Crow-Hunter and Ashlan Carlow-Blount. Big Crow-Hunter posted 20 points and three steals, while Carlow-Blount earned 11 points along with eight rebounds and seven assists. Big Crow-Hunter's afternoon made it four games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Dorthie Mesteth, who went 5 of 8 en route to 10 points and four steals.

Mahpiya Luta pushed their record up to 12-0 with the win, which was their 15th straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 29.8 points per game. As for Belle Fourche, their defeat ended an eight-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 9-4.

Mahpiya Luta is taking a road trip to take on Pine Ridge at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Belle Fourche has already played their next matchup (against Hot Springs), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing.