Basketball Game Preview: Mahpiya Luta Crusaders vs. St. Thomas More Cavaliers

Mahpiya Luta hasn't had much luck against St. Thomas More recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Mahpiya Luta Crusaders will face off against the St. Thomas More Cavaliers at 6:00 p.m. One thing working in Mahpiya Luta's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.

Mahpiya Luta is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing Lead-Deadwood: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Mahpiya Luta blew Lead-Deadwood out of the water with an 84-19 final score. The Crusaders have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 15 matchups by 21 points or more this season.

Dorthie Mesteth

Steals

02/08/25 vs Lead-Deadwood	10
02/04/25 @ Rapid City Christian	4
01/31/25 @ Sturgis Brown	3
01/28/25 @ Pine Ridge	6
01/25/25 vs Belle Fourche	4
01/21/25 @ Spearfish	3

Mahpiya Luta's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Dorthie Mesteth led the charge by dropping a double-double on 20 points and ten steals. Mesteth has been hot, having posted three or more steals the last six times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Ashlan Carlow-Blount, who went 9 for 12 en route to 18 points in addition to eight assists and six steals.

Meanwhile, St. Thomas More had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 23 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They walked away with a 52-39 win over the Warriors.

Mahpiya Luta's victory was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 16-0. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 29.1 points over those games. As for St. Thomas More, their record now sits at 14-5.

Mahpiya Luta strolled past St. Thomas More in their previous matchup back in February of 2024 by a score of 51-34. The rematch might be a little tougher for Mahpiya Luta since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.