RAPID CITY – Warner controlled the first half, but Harding County owned the second half and ultimately a consolation round victory on Friday.

The Ranchers used an aggressive defense to erase a double digit second-half deficit and exploded for 42-second half points to dispatch the Monarchs 62-57 during the Class B Girls’ State Basketball Tournament at The Monument.

Despite the heart-wrenching defeat, Warner coach Tina Winter gave credit to her team for its effort.

“That was a tough one,” Winter said. “I think our kids played their hearts out and worked hard enough to win that and it just didn’t happen. Our kids have nothing to hang their heads about.”

Trailing by as many as 14 points early in the third quarter, the Ranchers began chipping away at the deficit by using aggressive defensive pressure to force the Monarchs into turnovers.

Harding County was able to score 25 points off of 30 Warner turnovers. Winter gave credit to the Ranchers for taking advantage of her team’s miscues.

“Harding County is a very scrappy, hard-working team and they took advantage offensively when they got the opportunities,” Winter said.

Not only were the Monarchs dealing with the Ranchers’ pressure defense, they also had to deal with consistent foul trouble throughout the contest, something Winter was concerned about before the tournament even began.

“It’s hard when we’re unable to play some of our key players for a lot of the game because of foul problems,” Winter said. “And we knew that could be something we’d run into coming into the tournament with how deep we go.”

Winter was glad to see her bench players step and play a larger role in the game, which included Stacia Carda, MaKenna Leidholt, and Morgan Haselhorst.

“Our bench stepped up and played their best when we needed them to and I’m proud of them,” Winter said.

The Monarchs led by as many as 13 points in the first half and took a 31-19 lead into the halftime break. But the second half belonged to the Ranchers, who eventually took the lead for good when Claire Verhulst nailed a 3-point basket to break a 51-51 tie with two and a half minutes left in the game. The basket was the beginning of an 11-6 run for Harding County, which sealed the deal late at the free-throw line.

Bailey Verhulst led the Ranchers with 17 points, while Claire Verhulst had 16, including four 3-pointers. Kaylen Padden had 14 points, while Jaelyn Wendt added nine to the Harding County total.

The Ranchers (23-1) will take on Wall in the consolation championship today at 1:45 p.m. MST.

Kyra Marcuson led Warner with 17 points, while Ava Nilsson and Sophia Hoeft each had 12. Kyleigh Schopp added seven.

The Monarchs, who slipped to 21-4, will face James Valley Christian for seventh place today at Noon MST.

WARNER (21-4): Kyra Marcuson 5 5-7 17, Ava Nilsson 5 0-1 12, Kyleigh Schopp 3 1-1 7, Sophia Hoeft 4 2-2 12, Lauren Marcuson 0 2-2 2, Stacia Carda 1 2-2 4, Morgan Haselhorst 0 1-2 1, MaKenna Leidholt 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 13-17 57.

HARDING COUNTY (23-1): Claire Verhulst 6 0-0 16, Bailey Verhulst 6 5-7 17, Kaylen Padden 3 8-14 14, Kelsi Costello 0 2-2 2, Jaelyn Wendt 2 5-8 9, Macey Wendt 0 2-2 2, Jozi Schuchard 1 0-0 2. Totals 18 22-33 62.

Warner 16 31 45 57

Harding County 8 19 39 62

3-point field goals – K. Marcuson (2), Nilsson (2), Hoeft (2); C. Verhulst (4). Total fouls – Warner 26; Harding County 23. Rebounds – Warner 38 (Schopp 9); Harding County 32 (J. Wendt 8). Turnovers – Warner 30; Harding County 26. Assists – Warner 7 (K. Marcuson 2); Harding County 10 (B. Verhulst 3). Blocks – Warner 1 (Schopp); Harding County 3 (J. Wendt 2). Steals – Warner 10 (Nilsson 4); Harding County 15 (C. Verhulst 3, B. Verhulst 3, Kaylen Padden 3, J. Wendt 3).