Mason Palmer (Photo by Cameron Carlson)
DEVILS LAKE — The Firebirds knew Hillsboro/Central Valley wouldn’t be a rollover.
Just three days earlier, the Burros brought defending state champion Kindred to overtime.
“We weren’t taking this game lightly at all,” Devils Lake senior Max Palmer said. “We knew what they’re capable of. But we always believe that we can win. So that’s just our mindset.”
H/CV kept pace with Devils Lake for nearly all of Friday’s contest at the Devils Lake Sports Center. The Burros led by four points in the fourth quarter.
But the No. 1 Firebirds (4-0, 3-0) managed to keep their early perfect record alive with a 75-67 win.
“It’s a tough region. And Hillsboro’s a tough team,” Devils Lake head coach Dustin Brodina said. “Give a lot of credit to them. They played really, really hard. And yeah, we’re lucky to come out with a win, honestly.”
H/CV has challenged the two teams that played in last year’s state championship game. Yet the Burros (0-3, 0-1) have nothing to show for it in the win column.
Nonetheless, they’ve announced themselves as a legitimate threat in Region 2.
“They’re physical,” Brodina said. “And they’re doing things right. They’re getting to the rim. And they exposed a lot of things that we’ve got to get better at. So yeah, actually, they’re a good team. They’re a very good team, and they’re going to make a lot of noise in this region.”
Devils Lake’s 67 points allowed was its most since giving up 69 to Thompson on Feb. 23, 2024.
“We scored 75; I’m happy with that. But I’m not happy with 67 on the backside,” Brodina said. “That’s just unacceptable. We’ve got to work on it.”
The Burros played physically, which they sort of lived and died on. They were able to drive to the rim with a deep lineup of players, but they also got into some early foul trouble.
H/CV had six players score in the first quarter. But Alexander Dufner, the team’s leading scorer and tallest player at 6-foot-5, reached three fouls at the 3:29 mark.
Dufner sat for the entire rest of the first half. He came back in the second half and ended up fouling out in the fourth quarter. He scored 14 points, but was limited to four in the first half.
“It helps getting their big fella, that creates a big presence against us, in foul trouble,” Brodina said. “He’s a big difference maker in there, an offensive threat. So it was good getting him out. But still, we’ve got to be able to capitalize on that, too.”
The Burros led 8-3 before the lead changed three more times in the first quarter. Mason Palmer, Max Palmer and Ben Brodina each hit a triple to fuel the Firebirds’ scoring.
Mason Palmer’s second three-pointer helped extend Devils Lake’s lead as wide as five in the second quarter. He was the most potent scorer in the first half, with 18 points.
But the Burros just kept responding. Chase Haffely had an and-one to tie the game. Tyson Leshuk found the rim, giving H/CV a 33-31 lead.
“We were lacking in effort after we scored,” Max Palmer said. “We were kind of jogging back. We’ve got to start sprinting back against teams like that.”
Devils Lake squeaked back ahead on a Talan Gregory three off the bench, and again with some clutch free throws by Mason Palmer. The Burros were still in striking distance at halftime, Devils Lake leading 40-37.
No individual Burro had more than nine points in the first half. But their collective effort was competing with Devils Lake’s.
The Firebirds held a narrow lead until late in the third quarter. The Burros capitalized on a steal, tying it at 52-52 on a Dufner put-back.
“They got out in transition on us, which I don’t like at all,” Brodina said. “Could be a little bit of sickness, too, and out of shape, I think, a little bit. They got downhill on us.”
Devils Lake missed a plethora of attempts from beyond the arc. The Firebirds had chances to take control and run away with it. Instead, they were tied at 55 apiece going into the fourth quarter.
“We lived and died a little too much by the three,” Brodina said. “When they go in really good, everything runs smoothly. But we’ve got to be able to score without relying on that.”
Five seconds into the final period, the refs called a technical foul on B. Brodina. H/CV converted both free throws, then added a bucket by Jaren Reed to go up 59-55.
The Firebirds didn’t panic.
“Just keep executing on offense,” Brodina said. “And trying to get stops. We were trying to get more stops. Obviously, we didn’t get as many as we’d like. … Get good shots. Get good, quality shots, and then try to get stops on the back end.”
A put-back by Kade Fee ignited Devils Lake’s comeback. Down 61-57, the Firebirds scratched together an 11-0 run. Mason Palmer had a 3-for-3 trip to the free throw line in that stretch.
Palmer didn’t make any field goals in the second half, but he went 4-for-5 from the line in the fourth quarter to finish with a team-high 22 points.
A triple by his twin brother put the hammer down. It rolled around the rim before falling in, but it got in the hole nonetheless as Devils Lake extended its cushion to 68-61.
Dufner fouled out with 1:50 to go. Two of H/CV’s other starters reached four fouls.
“If we put a body on them and box them out, they’re gonna get reckless fouls going for offensive rebounds and stuff like that,” Max Palmer said. “We get to the paint; we go straight up. We try to put the ball in the hole, they’re gonna come down and hack. And they want to swat the ball into the crowd. So, I mean, that was our game plan. Just get to the rack and draw some fouls.”
Max scored eight points in the fourth quarter to finish with 18 overall. Brodina was right behind him with 14. Bryar Exner and Fee added nine and six, respectively.
The Firebirds have now scored 297 points in four games, with at least 70 in each contest.
They’ve hardly missed a beat despite only returning one starter this season.
“We all work together so well,” Max Palmer said. “We share the ball at a tremendous level. Pass around, move. And we can all shoot the ball. We can all score. So we have a big trust in each other, and it’s working well right now.”
Devils Lake will host its third Class AA opponent of the season, Minot North, on Monday in the back end of a girls-boys doubleheader.
