2026 State Champions

For the first time in 38 years, the Lennox High School girls’ basketball team has won the State Championship once again. The Orioles defeated Mahpiya Luta, 65-51, Saturday night in Watertown to capture the second State A title in program history, with the first coming in 1988. 

“I’m just really proud of this group and the way they carried themselves all year. I think of this team as a throwback — an old-school, tough-minded group. They’re all homegrown Lennox girls who have been playing together since elementary school, and that’s becoming more and more rare. They play defense first, they’re always the first to 50/50 balls, and they genuinely celebrate each other’s success,” said LHS head coach Adam Quail. “They don’t care who scores as long as the team wins. They don’t flop, they don’t complain to officials — they just move on to the next play. This team is a great reflection of their families, our school, and the Lennox community. It was truly a special group.”

Lennox outscored Maphiya Luta 28-14 in the third quarter of the Championship game after trailing 27-21 at the half. The strong quarter proved to be the difference as Lennox continued to roll to win the State A title. 

“What a game. We were down six at halftime, but that 28-point third quarter was really the difference. We handled their press much better in the second half and were able to find some openings in the high post, which created some good offensive opportunities for us,” said Quail. 

A tenacious defense was key as the Orioles recorded 18 steals in the game and forced 19 turnovers. Offensively, three Orioles were in double figures with Tori Gerdes leading the way. Gerdes finished the night with 22 points, going seven of 13 from the field and a perfect eight of eight from the foul line. She also recorded a double-double, pulling down ten rebounds. She added two assists and had three steals in the game. Her strong performance helped earn her All-Tournament Team honors.

Also in double figures on the night was Andie Peters, who hit five three-pointers in the game to finish with 15 points. She grabbed two rebounds, had two assists, and one steal. Bergan Musser went four of eight from the field to finish the night with ten points. She pulled down two rebounds, had three assists, and one steal. Musser was also named to the all-tournament team. 

Joining her on the all-tournament team for her strong performance in all three games was Teagen Sturm, who scored eight points in the Championship game. Sturm also grabbed five rebounds, had a team-high seven assists, and finished with four steals. 

Adie McVey scored five points against Mahpiya Luta and pulled down eight rebounds, had three assists, and two steals. Karlie Bosma finished with three points, two rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Libby Kranz had two points and two rebounds. 

“It was great to see so many girls step up, and that’s the benefit of having a deep team. Tori Gerdes was outstanding with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals while going 8-for-8 from the free-throw line,” said Qauil. “Teagen Sturm added 8 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals, and Andie Peters put on a shooting clinic going 5-for-8 from three to cap off her decorated career. It took a special team to perform like that in a championship environment.”

The Orioles opened the State Tournament with a match-up against Sioux Valley on Thursday, Mar. 12. Once again, their defense proved impressive, holding Sioux Valley to just eight points in the first half. Lennox went on to win the game, 42-28, to advance to the semi-finals. 

Against Sioux Valley, Lennox was led by Musser, who went six of 12 from the field to finish with 13 points. She also had nine rebounds, one assist, and five steals. Gerdes finished the afternoon with 12 points, going five of six from the field. She grabbed seven rebounds, had two assists, and one steal. Sturm added nine points, three rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Peters had four points, three rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Bosma finished with three points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Olivia Niederbaumer had one point and two rebounds. 

“It was a defensive battle. You could really tell both teams had a week to prepare because offense was hard to come by for both sides. Being able to force 21 turnovers and turn those into transition opportunities really helped us early. I thought our girls executed the defensive game plan perfectly,” said Quail. “Our goal was to pressure Sioux Valley and speed them up. They’re one of the best shooting teams in the state, so not letting them get comfortable from three was huge. Holding them to 0-for-16 from the three-point line was a big key. Bergan Musser finishing with 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 steals was a special performance in her first state tournament game.”

The win over Sioux Valley advanced the. Orioles to the semi-finals, where they faced off against top-seeded Hamlin. The Orioles had faced Hamlin twice during the regular season and suffered a loss both times; however, Lennox used a 17-7 second-quarter advantage to take the 23-17 lead at the half. In the third, the Orioles outscored Hamlin 23-13 to get the eventual 57-41 victory, advancing them to the Championship game. 

Sturm led the Orioles against Hamlin, scoring 14 points in the game. She also grabbed four rebounds, had two assists, and one steal. Musser finished with 12 points, four rebounds, two assists, and a team-high six steals. Bosma scored nine points for the Orioles, pulled down two rebounds, and had one steal and one assist. Gerdes finished with eight points, five rebounds, and two assists. McVey had six points, four rebounds, and three assists. Niderbaumer scored four points and grabbed three rebounds. Both Peters and Kranz scored two points in the game. Peters also had three rebounds, five assists, and Kranz pulled down one rebound.

“This is where our revenge tour started. Getting a third chance at Hamlin after they beat us twice in the regular season was a great opportunity for our team. We went to our 1-3-1 defense and it really gave them some trouble. Offensively, we made a small adjustment by putting a player in the dunker spot, which opened up driving lanes for our perimeter players,” said Quail. “We felt like our depth was an advantage and we wanted to attack off the dribble. Karlie Bosma had the play of the game with her buzzer-beating three at the end of the third quarter. What a moment. Teagen Sturm also had a fantastic game with 14 points on just eight shot attempts.”