No. 5 Devils Lake girls’ basketball picked up an important win on the road Saturday, beating Wahpeton 57-51.
The Firebirds trailed 49-41 with about four minutes left, but they caught fire at the right time and squeezed out the victory. Tylie Brodina put up 21 points a day after putting up 20; it’s been a season of streaks for the freshman, and she’s finishing the regular season with some of the best basketball she’s played all year. Cabryn Fritel also had 10.
Devils Lake has just one game remaining before the Region 2 tournament. If it had lost to an unranked Wahpeton team on Saturday, it would have been in danger of falling out of the polls. Instead, the Firebirds have a four-game winning streak heading into their final contest of the regular season against Grafton on Thursday.
Highlights
Devils Lake boys’ hockey won its play-in game at Burdick Arena against Grafton/Park River. The Firebirds advance to the quarterfinals of the East Region Tournament, where they’ll play No. 1 Grand Forks Red River. For more on this game, and the dramatic goal that put Devils Lake ahead, read here.
Devils Lake boys’ wrestling had a successful Saturday, with 13 of 17 wrestlers advancing to the state tournament. The Firebirds got third place overall as a team. Just a day earlier, four wrestlers in the girls’ division made it to state as well. For more details on this weekend’s wrestling results, check out the team’s Facebook page.
No. 4 Grafton boys’ basketball pulled out a marginal 80-79 win over Shiloh Christian. That’s the second straight game that the Spoilers have only barely won against unranked teams, which bodes well for No. 2 Devils Lake when the squads reunite on Tuesday. The Firebirds’ rematch with Grafton is their biggest game remaining on the regular-season schedule.
Other scores
Boys’ basketball
Larimore 64, Benson County 44
Carrington 60, Rugby 65
Girls’ basketball
North Border 61, Drayton/Valley-Edinburg 37
Larimore 61, Warwick 40
Griggs-Midkota 46, Nelson County 28
Midway/Minto 57, North Star 53
Park River/Fordville-Lankin 34, Langdon Area/Edmore/Munich 54
Hatton/Northwood 41, May-Port-C-G 59
New Rockford-Sheyenne 33, Benson County 58
North Prairie 36, St. John 60
Boys’ hockey
Mayville-Portland-C-G 0, Fargo Davies 6
Girls’ hockey
Dickinson 3, Fargo Davies 2
West Fargo United 1, Minot 2
Fargo North/South 8, Williston 2
Legacy/Bismarck 1, Grand Forks 2
What to watch
The Lake Region State College basketball teams have rematches with North Dakota State College of Science on Sunday in Wahpeton.
Last time they met, the women’s team upset the second-place Wildcats. The lady Royals are looking to bounce back from a loss to first-place Williston State College, another team they upset in their previous matchup. The men, meanwhile, have won their last two games after losing their previous seven.
The women and men will play at 1 and 3 p.m., respectively, so their games should be over just in time for the Super Bowl.
Joseph “Mojo” Hill is a reporter covering Lake Region sports for the Devils Lake Journal. Contact him on Twitter @mojohill22 or at jhill@devilslakejournal.com for any tips, questions or story ideas.
