Lyman is semifinal bound! The Raiders upset two seeded Harding County 54-49 on Thursday night in Rapid City, handing the Ranchers their first loss of the season.
Ball control was an issue for both squads throughout all four quarters of play as the teams combined for 54 turnovers. Mak Scott led Lyman in scoring with 15-points, while Brooke Palmer attributed 14 and Skyler Volmer had 12. Volmer also led the team in rebounds with 10.
Near the midway portion of the fourth quarter, the Raiders led the Ranchers by nine-points, but with each remaining minute the lead began to dwindle. With 50-seconds to play, the lead sat at just one, and it felt like Harding County held the momentum. But, as games go, the pendulum began to sway back in favor of Lyman. Late game points from the charity stripe proved to be the difference. Raiders head coach Cody Volmer almost sounded hoarse talking about the game.
“I don’t know what to say,” he said with a relieved look. “I think I lost my voice and my mind all at the same time. An ugly win is still a win, right?!”
As a team, Lyman shot 33% from the field. On the other end, Harding County shot 27%. When it comes to playing in March, it doesn’t have to look pretty. The final score is all that matters, and despite the sometimes-sloppy play, coach Volmer is proud of the fight and effort of his squad.
“Them girls have worked hard for the last two seasons, and they deserved to win this game, and I’m glad that they did,” Volmer exclaimed. “I’m glad that we can stay in the championship bracket and [Friday] we’ll have to come out and do the same thing all over again.”
Up next, Lyman will play Centerville in Friday night’s semifinal round. They’ll play at 7:45 pm MT.
