Presley Brown prepares to shoot free throws in Devils Lake’s game on Jan. 20 against May-Port-C-G. (Photo by Mojo Hill)
DEVILS LAKE — The Firebirds girls’ basketball team had a sour taste in its mouth after a 78-59 loss to Kindred on Saturday.
“After that game, we were all down,” senior Presley Brown said. “But we just came back positive.”
Devils Lake turned things around in a big way Tuesday at the Devils Lake Sports Center. The Firebirds scrapped together 82 points in a win that counted for two points in the region standings.
Devils Lake (7-5, 4-1) took down May-Port-C-G (4-8, 1-6) in an 82-54 victory.
“I think our trapping was a lot better,” Firebirds head coach Justin Klein said of the improvement from Saturday. “And we kept the ball handlers in front of us and didn’t let them go by us. We got some good steals that turned into easy baskets, which kind of started our offense, kind of got us going a little bit, I think. … It helped they played man defense, so we were able to run our man stuff. And I think we’re a lot stronger on offense against the man defense than zone.”
Tylie Brodina’s three-pointer just a few seconds into the game set the tone for Devils Lake’s biggest offensive night of the season. But the Firebirds didn’t lean on threes — they attempted only nine all game, and made four of them.
Brodina, a good three-point shooter in her own right, made two in the first half. But she drove inside more often than not. She totaled 20 points with time to spare in the first half.
It was a focal point for Klein’s squad to not settle for threes.
“Much better,” Klein said. “I thought we took better shots. And we attacked the rim a lot better, which was a focus we had. And we knew that they would switch on screens so we could get some mismatches.”
May-Port-C-G had the lead as tight as three points late in the first quarter. But Devils Lake pulled away with a 12-0 run extending into the middle of the second.
The Firebirds held their top target, 5-foot-8 junior guard Jordyn Carpenter, to just three points in the first half.
“We were really scrappy and getting after her, that’s for sure,” Brown said. “We kind of let it go later on in the second half, but then we got it back.”
Brodina sat on the bench for the final few minutes of the second quarter after reaching two fouls. Brown got going with eight points in the second quarter. She also made 5-of-6 free throws in the half. Tenley Triepke added a boost off the bench with six points in the second quarter.
Devils Lake led 47-27 at halftime. While Brodina’s 20 points led the way, the Firebirds also shored up their lead with a good free throw shooting performance, going 14-for-16 before the break.
Devils Lake wasn’t able to lock the Patriots down quite as well in the third quarter. Carpenter hit a pair of deep threes in the period. She ended up scoring 11 in the second half to finish with 14.
“She hit some deep shots, so you’ve got to hand it to her,” Klein said. “And she went to the hole a couple times, and we didn’t step over. But overall, we did a pretty good job on her. Still, though — still could do a little bit better job to limit her shots. But when she’s taking shots three, four feet behind the line, I guess whatever.”
Kylie Kroeplin added a three-pointer in the third quarter. The Patriots also made 6-of-8 free throws, chipping the Firebirds’ lead as close as 53-38.
Brodina, upon reentering at the start of the second half, never got back into the rhythm she had in the first half. She scored zero points in the second half, albeit sitting towards the end with a wide enough lead.
Despite no scoring from Brodina after halftime, Devils Lake managed to put up 35 points in the second half. May-Port-C-G never had any true hopes of a comeback.
Brown and Elsperger led the way by getting down low and making put-backs. Brown had nine in the second half to finish second on the team with 18 overall; Elsperger had eight to finish with 14.
“We passed the ball really well. I think we took a few risks, but for the most part, it was pretty good,” Brown said. “The bench stepped up and helped.”
Brown added a triple in the third quarter to diversify her line a little bit. She said she hasn’t necessarily worked on her three-point shooting, but she’s started to attempt more of them, and they’ve occasionally been falling — despite Brown being primarily a post player.
Brodina also played well in other aspects. She had a steal in the fourth quarter, in particular, where she then made a nice pass to Elsperger below the basket.
The Firebirds’ bench added five baskets from five different players in the second half. Emma Hofstad, Julia Rohr, Chassidy Rodacker, Raeleigh Myklebust and Jonae Meade each scored two points. Starters Ava Beck and Jenae Martinson had six and four, respectively.
It was one of the more complete offensive performances for the team this season. Devils Lake’s previous scoring high had been 78 in an overtime loss to Minot North in December.
“We’ve said that all along: We need some other scorers, other than Tylie and Presley,” Klein said. “So that’s something we’ve really tried to tell the team and improve on.”
The Firebirds have settled into a starting five they like, after there was much uncertainty heading into the season. They’re at their best when those supporting roles are playing their parts.
“Mia Elsperger really steps up. She’s been doing a great job the past two games,” Brown said. “Also, Jenae [Martinson], she’s pretty good on defense. She gets after the ball; she has good shots. And Ava [Beck], she just calms down the court. Just makes us all calm, bringing up the ball as the point guard.”
The Firebirds will try to keep moving the ball well when they travel to Carrington next Tuesday to play one of the better teams in the region. The Cardinals (8-3, 5-1) have played a slew of low-scoring games.
“I think that’ll be a tough road game for us. And they play really good D,” Klein said. “I think if you can get yourself in the 50s, you should have a chance to win.”
With the Kindred loss behind them, the Firebirds are back in the right mindspace.
“We’ve just got to be ready right when we get on that bus, and get after it,” Brown said.
