STURGIS, SD — The St. Thomas More Cavaliers, ranked #6 in the latest Class A basketball poll, led by 14 points at the end of the third quarter and held on for a 65-57 win over the Sturgis Scoopers on Monday night at West Gym. It was the regular season finale for St. Thomas More and the final home game of the season for the Scoopers.

Both teams came out hot, with Sturgis shooting a torrid 63% from the field in the first quarter, canning seven of 11 shots, but trailed the Cavs 19-16 headed into the second. STM forward Wyatt Gylten was unstoppable in the first quarter, scoring 10 points. The second quarter lead switched hands several times and St. Thomas More led 31-28 at intermission. Scooper senior Jerek Dufner had a solid first half, blazing the nets for 10 points, including two three pointers.

Sturgis cooled off in the third quarter and the Cavaliers took advantage, outscoring the Scoopers 22-13 and increasing their lead to 53-41 going into the final quarter. Scooper guard Hayden Rock kept the pressure on the STM defense, scoring six points in the fourth, but the Cavaliers took care of the ball and made their free throws to secure the victory.

St. Thomas More improved to 15-5 on the year and were led by Gylten with 20 points. Max Speed added 14 points with Baron Slusarski chipping in 13. The Cavs shot 49% from the field (25-of-51), 78% from the stripe (11-of-14), had 11 turnovers and 30 rebounds.

Rock was the leading scorer for Sturgis (6-13) with 22 points. Dufner finished with 12 and Jack Jolley added 5 points. The Scoopers shot 47% from the field (23-of-48), 66% from the free throw line (4-of-6), committed 12 turnovers and grabbed 13 boards.

The Scooper boys and girls wrap up their regular season on Tuesday night as they travel to Box Elder to take on the Douglas Patriots. The girls tipoff is scheduled for 6:30pm.