Winner and Pine Ridge squared off in some playoff action on Friday, but Winner had to settle for second. They took a 72-67 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Thorpes. The Warriors haven't had much luck with the Thorpes recently, as the team has come up short the last seven times they've met.

Jalen Tideman
| 03/06/26 vs Pine Ridge | 9 |
| 03/03/26 vs St. Francis Indian | 10 |
| 02/23/26 vs Crow Creek | 9 |
Several Warriors players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Jalen Tideman, who shot 5-for-7 from long range and almost dropped a double-double with 24 points and nine boards. Tideman is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down nine or more in each of the last three games he's played. Sam Steele was another key player, shooting 55% from beyond the arc en route to 20 points.
It was another big night for Marvin Richard III C, who went 13-for-24 on his way to 40 points in addition to six assists and five boards for Pine Ridge. That makes it 17 consecutive games in which Richard III C has scored at least a third of the Thorpes' points. The team also got some help courtesy of Talton Hawk, who dropped a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Winner's loss dropped their record down to 14-8. As for Pine Ridge, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 14-8.
Winner does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Pine Ridge, they wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 62-54 defeat against Groton on the 10th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps