The theme for the semifinal games was upsets and that theme was still in play for the games on the final day of play.

Championship

No. 3 Valley City 67, No. 5 Thompson 44

The Hi-Liner girls took the court and never looked back in the 2024-2025 NDHSAA Division A Girls Basketball Tournament Championship game. Valley CIty led 17-10 after the first quarter, 31-21 at the half enroute to the state title.

The Hi-Liners were led by Katie Burchill with 23 points and ten rebounds in the win. Skye Nielson added 16 points and six boards while Madison Anderson added 12 points and six rebounds as well. Dakota Potratz also hit for nine points for Valley City.

Thompson was led by Kya Hurst with 11 points while Addison Sage scored ten points for the Tommies. Jordyn Tozer and Claire Kolling each posted nine points for Thompson in the effort.

Third Place

No. 2 South Prairie-Max 64, No. 1 Devils Lake 56

What many expected to be the title tilt turned out to be the contest for third place at the state tournament as the top seeded Devils Lake girls faced the second seeds from South Prairie-Max (SPM).

The Royals controlled the tip and hit a 3-point shot for the first points in the game. The Firebirds then went on a 5-0 run while SPM waited nearly four minutes for their next score.

The Royals missed shots and both teams had issues with the press defense that both teams used to start the game. With a final push in the last two minutes, SPM took a 14-8 lead to start the second quarter of play.

The game speed and tempo were very similar for both teams as the second quarter started. While Devils Lake had a slight edge in rebounding, the Royals had the edge in shooting accuracy.

The score at half time was 29-27 in favor of the South Prairie-Max girls. The Firebirds had 21 compared to 16 rebounds while the Royals shot just over 42-percent from the field compared to just under 30-percent for Devils Lake.

While the Firebirds were 10-14 from the charity stripe, SPM hit three from the arc compared to none for Devils Lake.

The Firebirds came out and poured energy into the third quarter of play. Turnovers from the press defense and missed shots by the Royals led to a 5-0 run by Devils Lake. The Firebird girls took the 33-31 lead quickly.

The Royal girls chased Devils Lake the entire third quarter and finally took the lead in the final seconds for the 45-44 lead going into the last quarter of play.

With 5:31 to play, SPM found themselves down by two and saddled with four fouls. Both teams wanted the win as the Royals worked on shifting the momentum. A pair of steals and made baskets gave SPM the 52-49 lead with 4:36 to play.

With 2:21 left to play, and SPM holding the 57-51 lead, Devils Lake had to start fouling to prompt missed free throws and keep the time from ticking away.

With 28.1-seconds left to play, the Royals led 64-56 and the emotions began to show on the players’ faces. Little could change the fact that SPM would take third place in the state.

The Royals were led by Skotti Beck with 20 points and eight rebounds. Mya Gunville added 16 points and was 4-10 from the arc for SPM. The Royals were 23-55 from the field, 7-22 from 3-point range and 11-14 from the free throw line down the stretch.

Devils Lake was led by Presley Brown with 11 points and eight rebounds while Tylie Brodina and Claire Hellman each added ten points for the Firebirds. Devils Lake was 23-55 from the field, only 2-12 from the arc and 14-25 from the free throw line in the game.

Fifth Place

No. 6 Carrington 47, No. 8 Dickinson Trinity 44

The fifth place game was played by Red on White versus White on Red as both Carrington and Dickinson Trinity are red and white colors.

The game started with the outside shooting and press defense for Carrington helping the birds to an 8-5 lead only to have the inside game and free throw shooting by the Titans even the game with 1:48 to play in the first quarter. The Cardinals led 14-10 at the end of the first quarter.

The 3-point shooting for Carrington kept the Cardinals in the lead through the second quarter of play as well. Missed shots by Dickinson Trinity combined with turnovers aided Carrington as they led 27-23 at the half.

The Titans had the edge in rebounds with 17 compared to 11 for the Cardinals. Carrington held the edge in shooting with 45-percent from the field compared to 35-percent for Dickinson Trinity. There were five lead changes in the first half that favored Carrington.

The Titans found the groove shooting to start the third quarter right out the gate and by the 5:16 mark Dickinson Trinity held the 29-27 lead with the Titans on a 6-0 run. Carrington figured out their game, took the 34-32 lead with 3:44 and prompted the Titans to call timeout.

Dickinson Trinity held the 40-38 lead with one quarter left to play. The fourth quarter had each team make small runs and the lead swapped several times. With one minute to play, Carrington led 45-44 over the Titans.

With crazy play in the final 60-seconds, the Cardinals survived the fouls and turnovers for the win and the fifth place honors.

Carrington was led by Marah Johnson with 15 points while Edyn Hoornaert added 12 points and eight rebounds in the win. Harper Kollman and Isabel Wendel each added eight points for the Cardinals.

Annabel Scheeler posted 18 points to lead Dickinson Trinity. Nevaeh Tormaschy posted 11 points and six rebounds while Kambree Fleck added eight points for the Titans in the game.

Seventh Place

No. 7 TMCHS 62, No. 4 Rugby 53

The Turtle Mountain Community High School (TMCHS) girls won the tip and the Rugby girls led 14-13 after the first quarter of play in the seventh place contest at the final day of the 2024-2025 NDHSAA Division A Girls Basketball Tournament on Saturday, March 8, at the MSU Dome.

The Panthers found themselves in foul trouble with just over 3:38 to play in the first and the Braves used that to their advantage in attacking the basket. By the end of the second quarter of play, TMCHS led 29-27 as both teams went into the break.

Both teams shot over 40-percent in the first half with each team having 24 shots from the field. The Panthers had 15 rebounds compared to 14 for the Braves. Based on the statistics, either team could have been out front at the half.

The Braves picked up where they left off at the end of the second and quickly built a 35-29 lead. The Panthers responded with a 12-0 run to take the 41-35 lead midway through the third quarter. The rest of the third was back and forth when TMCHS got into foul trouble.

Rugby held the 43-39 lead with one quarter to play.

Rugby kept the lead until the 5:37 mark of the fourth when the Braves took the 46-45 lead from the free throw line. Neither team found a firm footing to take control of the game.

Half way through the final quarter of play, Rugby found themselves in foul trouble for the rest of the game. Missed shots, turnovers and a shift in momentum gave TMCHS the 54-51 edge with 2:30 to play.

The Braves were led by Aubree Jeanotte with 19 points and Quinn Laducer with 16 points and ten rebounds. Irelei Zarr also added 11 points and five rebounds for TMCHS in the win.

Avery Santjer scored 16 points and had eight rebounds for Rugby. Elise Fahnestock scored 13 points while Lacie Deplazes recorded nine points in the game. Katie Sullivan added eight points and seven rebounds for the Panthers.