DEVILS LAKE — The Firebirds lost to Thompson twice during the regular season. In both games, they trailed by a single digit going into the fourth quarter. One game they lost by 10; the other, they lost by nine.
So perhaps it would have been unwise to expect anything different when the teams met again.
For the third time this season, Devils Lake put up a solid fight against the No. 3-ranked team in Division A. This time, in Tuesday’s Region 2 girls’ basketball semifinals, the final was 65-53 in the Tommies’ favor.
Only a pair of free throws separated it from being an identical 63-53 score from the first time they played.
“I think it was just a carbon copy,” Devils Lake head coach Justin Klein said.
The Firebirds trailed by three after the first quarter, by three at the half and by two after three quarters.
They never led.
“I thought we had a little more momentum going into the fourth today than we did the other games,” Klein said. “And I thought maybe playing at home, with a little more energy, maybe we could pull it off and hit some shots.”
The Firebirds did not. They moved to Thursday’s third-place game on their home floor.
Thompson led 9-0 out of the gates, with five quick points from Addison Sage.
Devils Lake didn’t score until nearly four minutes in.
But with Presley Brown hitting a three and making a put-back, the Firebirds got within three.
Tylie Brodina hit two triples in an eight-point first quarter. Each three-pointer got Devils Lake within one possession, and she made a layup to tie it at 16-16.
That was the only tie of the game.
Brown and Brodina combined for 19 points in the first half with 10 and nine, respectively. Ava Beck also provided a boost in the second quarter, getting down the floor quickly in the final 15 seconds of the half and then making her third and fourth free throws — cutting Thompson’s lead to 31-28.
The Tommies only had two field goals in the second quarter.
“We didn’t give them a lot of open looks or freebies,” Klein said. “That’s the thing, too, when we press, or when we play zone, sometimes you lose a girl in the corner or you lose her on the side; I thought we did a pretty good job there. I thought, overall, we worked hard.”
Kya Hurst scored Thompson’s first eight points of the second half as the Tommies separated themselves a little. But Brodina had a three-point play as part of a 6-0 run to keep Devils Lake in it.
The Firebirds scored the last six of the third quarter, ending the period on a 12-5 run. Tenley Triepke chipped in with a layup.
And then Jonae Meade, coming off a shorthanded bench with Jenae Martinson nursing a sore knee, used her size to get one last bucket before the buzzer.
“We needed a couple kids to step up,” Klein said. “Jonae Meade, I thought, did a really nice job coming in and giving us some strength and size inside.”
Thompson’s lead was just 44-42 going into the fourth quarter.
Sage, after a 13-point first half, didn’t score in the third quarter. She hit three triples in the first two quarters and none for the rest of the game.
“I thought we did a good job on defense. I thought we kept Sage off the three-point line, for the most part,” Klein said.
Devils Lake’s lack of depth, though, proved tough to overcome.
Brodina had a strong second half and scored a team-high 20 overall. There wasn’t a lot of additional scoring help.
Brown, who’s been a dynamic threat for Devils Lake recently, didn’t make any field goals in the second half. She had just two points, both on free throws, to finish with 12.
“That’s a little shocking,” Klein said. “I didn’t think she took the ball to the hole as well. In the second half, we didn’t really look to get her the ball, though, either. She didn’t get any steals, either — breakaways.”
Emma Hofstad, starting in Martinson’s place, had her night limited due to foul trouble. Triepke and Meade both provided solid contributions off the bench but were forced to get more major minutes than usual.
It took Devils Lake almost four minutes to score in the fourth quarter.
“The times when we got a steal, I thought they came from behind and stole it from us again,” Klein said. “I didn’t think we converted on our steals in the second half like we did in the first half.”
A Brodina triple still cut Thompson’s lead as small as 50-47. But the Tommies got key baskets from Claire Kolling and Jena Schwabe, then rode 13-of-18 free throws in the fourth quarter as Devils Lake desperately tried to hang in there.
Brodina missed a few three-ball chances that would have kept it a closer game for longer.
“We didn’t get a shot to go,” Klein said. “Tylie couldn’t get a shot to go when we needed. And we took the ball in; we were a little tired. We got bumped a little bit, and didn’t finish at the rim.”
The Firebirds wound up getting no scoring in the final quarter outside of Brodina or Triepke, as they lost by a 12-point margin.
Devils Lake will face elimination in Thursday’s third-place game against Four Winds/Minnewaukan. Klein said Martinson is doubtful for Thursday, but could possibly play Saturday if the Firebirds advance to a state qualifier.
Devils Lake and FW/M will square off at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Devils Lake Sports Center.
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