DEVILS LAKE — Four Winds/Minnewaukan is going to the Region 2 semifinals.
A year after their season ended in the first round, the No. 4-seeded Lady Indians (16-6) muscled out a 50-47 win over No. 5 seed Hillsboro/Central Valley (12-10) in Monday’s quarterfinals at the Devils Lake Sports Center.
“It wasn’t pretty, for sure,” Indians head coach Sean Gourd Sr. said. “But we got the win. That’s what matters. We’re still playing. Just got to be thankful for that. … We did just enough to win the game tonight.”
The victory assured that FW/M will play at least two more games this postseason.
“I think we just kept pushing,” said Indians sophomore Suri Gourd, who scored a game-high 16 points. “We had a little more initiative in us, that this is it — it could be our last game, or we could just keep going on a little run. So I think that just really motivated us.”
The Indians led 18-13 after the first quarter despite zero points from Gourd.
Cailee Hanson had seven of FW/M’s first 10. The Indians only trailed once — 7-6 after a three by Paige Cotton — before Hanson put them ahead with back-to-back baskets.
Gourd scored her first points early in the second quarter.
FW/M didn’t score for nearly the next four minutes of game time.
Despite that drought, the Indians never gave up the lead. Gourd scored six in the second quarter; Patience Dunn added a put-back for FW/M’s only other points in the quarter.
Through their offensive struggles, the Indians limited H/CV to three field goals in the second quarter. Cotton was the Burros’ scoring leader at the half with seven points, five of which came in the first quarter.
“We rotated better,” Gourd Sr. said. “We helped a lot.”
Gourd started to get going a little bit in the third quarter. But offense as a team continued to be a struggle. The Burros only had two field goals of their own in the quarter, but they got within four.
When asked whether their offensive struggles were due to H/CV’s defense, or to their own lack of execution, Gourd and Gourd Sr. agreed it was a little of both.
“They’re just a physical team,” Gourd Sr. said. “And we tend to struggle like that with physical teams sometimes. We’ve just got to be a little more patient on offense. Move the ball a little sometimes.”
Gourd added the team has been dealing with some sickness.
“We’re a little bit more gassed, which makes our shots fall a little shorter,” Gourd said.
With the Indians clinging to a 30-26 lead, Sophia Alberts hit a massive three to give them some breathing room. FW/M extended its lead as wide as 10 in the second half.
H/CV junior forward Paityn Olson almost singlehandedly ignited a comeback. After zero field goals in the first three quarters, she scored 10 points in the fourth. She had a team-high 14 points overall, fueled by an 8-for-11 free throw performance.
“[Olson]’s a good player,” Gourd Sr. said. “She’s very active and athletic.”
The Burros went on a 10-4 run to get within two. Gourd Sr. held a timeout with the Indians hanging to a 41-39 lead, 5:29 still on the clock.
Hanson, who hadn’t scored since the first quarter, hit a triple to make it a two-possession game.
But the Burros still gave FW/M one last scare.
With about 30 seconds left, a steal and a layup by Olson cut the lead to 48-45. Gourd went to the stripe with 21.5 seconds left and went 0-for-2.
H/CV nearly executed a play but mishandled a pass at 13.2 seconds, turning it over.
With 8.5 on the clock, Gourd made two free throws to secure the win.
“A win’s a win,” Gourd said. “It wasn’t the best performance that we’ve had, but I think we just came together in the end as a team to finish the game out.”
The Indians will face No. 1 seed Carrington at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Carrington has won 17 in a row, including a 45-33 victory over FW/M on Jan. 12. The winner advances to Thursday’s region championship; the loser moves to Thursday’s third-place game, with a chance to make a state qualifier game.
“We’re going to have to play a heck of a lot better than we did tonight,” Gourd Sr. said. “We’ve got nothing to lose tomorrow. We’re the underdog. Nobody expects us to win. So we’re just going to go up and leave it all on the floor tomorrow and see what happens.”
Carrington is known for its defense. The Cardinals allowed only 40 points per game during the regular season.
“We need to score,” Gourd said. “They’re a great defensive team. And that’s what keeps them in games. So I think that everyone playing a part in scoring and knocking down shots, and definitely playing defense, helps a lot.”
Added Gourd Sr.: “We’ve got to be patient, strong with the ball. Make the right play. They’re just a solid defensive team. They’re lanky. They’re disciplined. And we’ve just got to move the ball, take what they give us. It probably won’t be a lot, but we’re going to have to capitalize on whatever we can get.”
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