Parker Brodina missed both free throws.
The Devils Lake Firebirds had everything going for them to make a miraculous comeback on Thursday — after being down 66-59 late, they’d tied it at 66. The game that nobody seemed able to take grasp of might have finally found its winner. Perhaps the No. 1 Grafton Spoilers were just too good for Devils Lake to upset.
But a three from Drew Hofstad and baskets from Brodina and Oliver Wirth kept the Firebirds’ hopes, and the fans’ energy in the Devils Lake Sports Center gym, alive.
After a steal and a quick run down the court, Brodina induced a foul with 5.1 seconds left in the game. This was his chance to be the hero.
Not yet.
Both free throws clanked off the rim. You could hear the collective “Aw” from the Devils Lake faithful, as suddenly, a comeback attempt was in danger of morphing into a heartbreaking loss. Grafton had the possession. The Firebirds needed to shut them down.
Brodina said the coaches — which include head coach Dustin Brodina, his father — told him to keep his head up. There were only a few seconds left in the game.
“Parker’s a great leader,” D. Brodina said. “He’s consistent. Everything he does, he tries to do it the right way… He’s pretty frustrated that he missed those two free throws.”
So despite the sting of missing the shots, and the dire nature of a tied game, and a dangerous team with the ball, P. Brodina and the Firebirds hung in there.
Hofstad nabbed the inbound pass, creating a moment of anticipation from everyone in the room watching. He passed to Brodina under the net, who made the game-winning layup and erased everything that had come before it. He was the hero after all.
“We obviously made a lot of mistakes,” P. Brodina said. “But we still came out on top and played hard and ended up getting that win.”
Brodina finished with 21 points on the night. He scored the first seven for Devils Lake all the way back at the beginning of the first quarter, then put the finishing touches on a 68-66 roller coaster.
Leading the scoring for the Firebirds with 27 points was Wylee Delorme, who was right in the middle of the constant head-bashing this game entailed. He had five lead-changing shots in the third quarter alone, three of which were threes.
But at the end, the game was out of his hands. All he could do was watch as the pandemonium ensued.
“He made up for all of it. That’s all that matters. It won us the game,” Delorme said of Brodina. “High emotions. I love Parker.”
It’s rare to see a team go from a state of shock and panic to utter elation in a matter of seconds. As the players celebrated on the court, the coaches joined in. Assistant Patrick Thomas took multiple hops in the air, while even the typically stoic-faced D. Brodina let out a few fist pumps.
“I guess as you get older, you get less excited,” Brodina said with a laugh. “But don’t get me wrong, I was pretty excited up there.”
D. Brodina and Delorme were the first to cool the jets on their celebration and start the handshake line with Grafton. It was an act of sportsmanship, yes, but it was also an indication that these Firebirds aren’t done yet. A win like this is a massive step in the right direction, but there’s so much more they still want to accomplish.
Delorme made his goal very clear.
“Win a state title,” he said. “Get to the last game in March, and win the school state championship.”
To get there, Devils Lake is going to need to show resilience like it did on Thursday. To beat tough teams like Grafton requires it, and now that the Firebirds know they can beat a team that good, it gives them an opportunity to build on it.
“It’s good that we can beat them. We know where we are,” P. Brodina said. “We need to go back to practicing and get back to work.”
