MINOT — The second half had hardly gotten going before Devils Lake’s best player took a tumble.
The Firebirds were already losing. Head coach Justin Klein said he “was not happy” how they played the first half. The last thing they needed was to lose their prime point scorer.
“Offensively, we were brutal,” Klein said.
Tylie Brodina took a fall on a play at the rim, and she was slow getting up. She needed help to stand up, and she limped off the court with assistance.
“As soon as I came off the court, I was like, ‘I need to get back in there,’” Brodina said. “I’m not gonna get out because I knew my teammates needed me, and I wanted to be right there with them.”
Within a few minutes, Brodina was sprinting back to the bench, and then right back into the game with hardly a hitch. She swished a three-pointer seconds after coming back in, then had a high-energy assist that helped Devils Lake stage a comeback. This contest was too important — with too much on the line — to concede, or to not put everything these Firebirds had in them to earn a trip to the state championship game.
“Even if she gets hurt, she’s gonna play through it,” said teammate Torri Fee, who led Devils Lake with 15 points on Friday.
And despite Brodina still not at 100% health-wise, and a deficit to overcome in the second half, the Firebirds persevered and earned — truly earned, in the purest sense of the word — a chance at the state title. They (20-6, 7-2) beat Valley City (19-8, 7-3) 59-57, outpacing the Hi-Liners through a competitive second half that saw each student section roaring with energy at the Minot State Dome.
“The kids didn’t quit,” Klein said. “I think we battled back, especially on defense.”
After Devils Lake won the tip-off, Brodina tried the same game-opening move she executed on Thursday. But she missed the layup. Jolie Martinson scored anyway after two rebounds, getting Devils Lake on the board first.
But like in Thursday’s game, the Firebirds went down on back-to-back layups by the same player: this time, Valley City’s Katie Burchill. Two more shots followed for the Hi-Liners, who went on an 8-0 run to take an 8-2 lead.
The Firebirds were perhaps a little antsy with their shots. The Hi-Liners were making the simple baskets, while Devils Lake wasn’t.
“I think with their size, it altered some of our shots,” Klein said. “And we didn’t feel confident going in, I think is some of it. We left a lot of points at the rim, too.”
Fee ended the Hi-Liners’ run, and Cabryn Fritel made one of two free throw attempts. With the deficit down to three, Brodina swished a three — coming through at the perfect time to knot this game up in a flash.
Valley City went back ahead 10-8. But Presley Brown made a free throw and a layup, putting Devils Lake back in the driver’s seat. Brown made a pass to Brodina right before the first buzzer, and Brodina made the layup to complete the first quarter with a 13-10 lead.
Brown began the second quarter with two more free throws. But the Hi-Liners managed multiple stops, keeping the Firebirds off-balance at the rim. Devils Lake played a pesky defensive style, leaping for steal attempts on nearly every Valley City pass.
The Hi-Liners grinded out three consecutive baskets, taking a 16-15 lead over Devils Lake.
Dacota Potratz converted an and-one to put Valley City up 19-17, and Martinson made a layup from under the net to tie it up. But after three consecutive Hi-Liner free throws, Devils Lake fell into a bit of a spiral. Tesa Olson made two quick runs down the court for Valley City, while the Firebirds threw up some desperate short shots that didn’t go in. The Hi-Liners were making it really tough for Devils Lake to get any clean shots off.
It was a 7-0 run for Valley City, giving it a 26-19 lead at halftime. The Hi-Liners outscored the Firebirds 16-6 in the second quarter.
“We talked in the locker room that we just need to play more team,” Brodina said. “Just keep passing the ball, keep looking for the open looks, and just not put any pressure on ourselves and play our own game.”
Fee was fouled on a hustle down the court on the opening drive of the second half, and she made both free throws to cut the deficit to 26-21.
But then came Brodina’s tumble, where she hyperextended her leg. It had the looks of a game that Devils Lake could lose handle of, with a deficit still to surpass and Brodina’s status uncertain.
She came back. And her three-pointer sparked an 8-0 run that tied the game at 33 apiece.
“It feels really good just being out there with my teammates,” Brodina said, “and being able to move the ball really good and create open shots for other people.”
It was an and-one by Ava Beck that tied it up. The teams went back and forth, and Devils Lake forced a key stop while leading 41-38. Fee made the Hi-Liners pay with a three that gave the Firebirds a six-point lead.
“We just shared the ball really well,” Fee said. “And that helped us come up with a lead.”
Devils Lake outscored Valley City 25-12 in the third quarter. Fee had seven points, while Beck had six.
The Firebirds kept their versatile offensive attack going in the fourth quarter. Brown had six second-half points to finish with 11 overall, while Brodina put up an even 10. Brodina wasn’t moving quite as fast after her injury scare, but she was still making a difference.
“Just her presence in there takes a defender out of the way,” Klein said.
Each team had 20 fouls, and it was nearly a free throw contest down the stretch. The Hi-Liners clawed the deficit down to 47-44 with 5:30 to go, and 56-54 with 11.8 seconds left.
Though Brodina had a quiet fourth quarter overall, she had perhaps the most important free throws of the entire game. With Devils Lake leading 57-54, she made it a two-possesion game by putting both of her attempts in.
Greta Goven made a three at the buzzer, which could have been dastardly had the previous events transpired differently. But it wasn’t enough, and Devils Lake held on for an intense two-point victory.
“Sometimes it’s not pretty,” Klein said. “It’s fun to watch, but we also turn the ball over sometimes when we shouldn’t, and we take shots we shouldn’t. But it is what it is, and we play hard and we defend. And I think that’s all you can ask for.”
In Saturday’s championship game, Devils Lake will face the winner of No. 1 Thompson vs. No. 3 South Prairie-Max. If it does get another chance at undefeated Thompson, it’ll be looking for revenge after falling in a buzzer-beating heartbreaker last week in the region tournament.
“That’s who we want to play — but we wouldn’t be sad if Prairie knocks them off,” Klein said with a chuckle. “But mentally it’s a big boost because we know we had them beat. This is gonna be a whole different ballgame; the third day in a tournament like this, there’s gonna be a lot of emotions, a lot of energy that’s been used.”
The season will conclude on Saturday no matter what. The question is whether Devils Lake will be crowned a champion in girls’ basketball for the first time since 1987, or if it’ll have to settle for a second-place finish in an incredibly hard-fought season.
“I’m really excited. I think it’ll be a really good game tomorrow,” Brodina said. “Hopefully we can just bring our best and we can play our best basketball.”
