Sports

Rangers advance over Bison, fall to Cavs

Published by admin on Wed, 03/04/2026 - 8:50am
The number three seeded Hill City Rangers girls’ basketball team opened postseason play in a dominant fashion Tuesday night, rolling past the Hot Springs Bison 64-16 in a first-round home playoff matchup.
Hill City’s relentless defense and up-tempo offense overwhelmed the young Bison team from the outset.
Hot Springs’ Haylee White scored the first point, going one-for-two from the free-throw line. It would be the only Bison point until late in the opening quarter, when Taryn Bande Stroet added two more from the line.

Wildcats boys tackle second place at region meet

Published by admin on Wed, 02/25/2026 - 2:56pm

Nine Custer Jr./Sr. High school boys wrestling team members qualified for state at the South Dakota High School Activities Association Region 4B Tournament at Hill City High School Feb. 21.
Overall, the Wildcats placed second as a team with 192 points, which was an unexpected victory according to head coach Jared Webster. 
“The boys had a good week. I always wish we could get more in, but overall, I’m very pleased,” said Webster. “About every match was a good match.”
Cole Scott placed second in the 106 weight class and scored 22 team points.

Four Wildcat girls heading to state wrestling tournament

Published by admin on Wed, 02/25/2026 - 2:53pm

Two Custer Jr./Sr. High school girls wrestling team members qualified for state at the South Dakota High School Activities Association Region 4B Tournament at Rapid City Central High School Feb. 21.
Overall, the Wildcats placed seventh as a team with 75.5 points.
“The weekend was kind of up and down. The competition in our region is tough,” said coach Clayton Sander. “The region tournament is probably one of the very top-level tournaments in this area.” 
Keira Thorp placed fifth in the 105 weight class and scored 13 team points.

Girls wrap up regular season with losses to Lead, Hill City

Published by admin on Wed, 02/25/2026 - 2:51pm

With only a minute remaining in its game last Friday in Lead, the Custer High School girls basketball team trailed the Lead-Deadwood Golddiggers by nine.
Only 58 seconds later, it almost pulled out a win.
After trailing most of the game the Wildcats went into frantic mode in the final minute, trapping and pressuring the Golddiggers into turnover after turnover, turning a 55-46 deficit into a 57-56 loss as time expired.

Wildcats end regular season with a pair of losses

Published by admin on Wed, 02/25/2026 - 2:50pm

It was a tale of two halves for the Custer High School boys basketball team last Friday at the Armory, as the Wildcats blitzed the visiting Hill City Rangers in storming out to a large early lead in a close first half, only to turn the ball over numerous times and score 16 total second half points in a 76-46 loss to their rivals to the north.
“The guys came with energy wanting to play,” head coach Tayton Vincent said. “They wanted the opportunity and wanted that game at home. The seniors stepped up and led the charge from the tip right away.”

Hill City Rangers pounce on Wildcats

Published by admin on Wed, 02/25/2026 - 9:30am
The Hill City Rangers boys basketball team ended its regular season with a  big win against the Custer Wildcats after a 60-41 loss to St. Thomas More Feb. 21.
The Rangers came into the Custer game Feb. 23 with an 11-8 record while the Wildcats were struggling to create a winning season, sitting at 5-14 and coming off of back-to-back losses.

Frasier brings home fifth place at regions

Published by admin on Wed, 02/25/2026 - 9:27am
Hill City seventh grader Aspen Frasier placed fifth in the 106-pound weight class bracket at the South Dakota High School Activities Association (SDHSAA) Region 4B wrestling tournament held in Hill City Feb. 21.
The 93-pound Frasier faced opposition from five opponents, beating three. Frasier took on seventh grader Traedyn Stirling of Harding County early in the day in a one period match up. Frasier next faced Whitten Luper of Hot Springs. The match went two periods with two Frasier takedowns.

Rangers play cat and mouse with Wildcats

Published by admin on Wed, 02/25/2026 - 9:26am
In a game marked by sheer unpredictability, the Hill City Rangers and Custer Wildcats played a physical and cunning game of cat and mouse in Tuesday night’s matchup in Custer.
“You really have to buckle down mentally in physical games like that, and we struggled to do so,” said head coach Anna Eckert.

Boys beat Newcastle, fall to Spearfish

Published by admin on Wed, 02/18/2026 - 12:48pm

It was an up and down week for the Custer High School boys basketball team last week, as it started the week with a resounding win over the visiting Newcastle, Wyo., Dogies before losing in the same convincing fashion two nights later against the visiting Spearfish Spartans.
The Spartans wasted little time jumping on the Wildcats last Thursday, going up 9-0 in the first quarter on the way to a 58-38 victory.
Custer’s first points of the game didn’t come until the 4:13 mark of the first quarter when Brady Virtue scored.

Ellerton pours in 35 points in Wildcat win

Published by admin on Wed, 02/18/2026 - 12:47pm

As she heads into the final few games of her high school career, Custer High School girls basketball senior Kylee Ellerton saved one of her best performances for one of her last, as she poured in 35 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, snared seven steals and dished out six assists in Custer’s 61-47 win over visiting Newcastle, Wyo., last Tuesday evening at the Armory.