Basketball Recap: Vermillion Beats Pine Ridge for Their Third Straight Win

Tanagers

Margin (Wins)

12/13/24 @ Sioux Falls Lutheran	52
12/21/24 vs Mt. Vernon/Plankinton	33
01/03/25 @ Tri-Valley	28
01/04/25 vs Pine Ridge	20
12/17/24 vs West Central	-2

Vermillion lost to Pine Ridge back in March of 2024, but they didn't allow them the same satisfaction on Saturday. The Vermillion Tanagers put the hurt on the Pine Ridge Thorpes with a sharp 65-45 victory. The Tanagers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four games by 20 points or more this season.

Several Thorpes players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Kolbe Steele, who went 5 for 9 on his way to 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Marvin Richard Lll, who posted 19 points.

The win was the third in a row for Vermillion, bringing their record for this year to 4-1. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 73.7 points per game. As for Pine Ridge, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-6 record this season.

Vermillion didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 49-47 victory against Yankton on the 7th. As for Pine Ridge, they will be playing in front of their home fans against St. Francis Indian at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Pine Ridge is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 63.5 points per game this season.