Photos by Noah Clooten
MINOT — All season long, either Devils Lake or South Prairie-Max could be fairly described as the “team to beat.”
The Firebirds, after all, were the defending state champions. The Royals, meanwhile, only got better from last year’s state runner-up finish, winning all 21 games during the regular season.
They were the No. 1 and 2 seeds in the state tournament. And they did indeed meet in a rematch on Saturday — but in the state third-place game. Each of last year’s state title participants took a disappointing loss in Friday’s semifinals, bringing them together for one final showdown.
It was a young SP-M team (26-2) that outlasted Devils Lake (21-5) in Saturday’s third-place game at the Minot State Dome. The Royals won 64-56 behind 20 points from Skotti Beck and 16 by Mya Gunville. SP-M turned it over 30 times, but Devils Lake had 27 turnovers of its own. The Firebirds shot 35% and went 2-of-12 from three-point range. They got 11 points from Presley Brown and 10 each from Tylie Brodina and Claire Heilman.
“There’s a different feeling today in the locker room at the end than it was last year,” Devils Lake head coach Justin Klein said. “I think we learned how to win last year, and we learned how to lose in this tournament. And we battled in both games. But you run into a hot Thompson team who shot well, and this team shot well. And these teams are good. I mean, you can’t just show up and beat these teams at the state tournament.”
Beck got SP-M going with a three-ball right away. Devils Lake responded with layups down the floor from Brown and Heilman, and the Firebirds took a 5-3 lead.
But those were the only two field goals Devils Lake had in the first quarter. The Royals took the lead with less than three minutes left in the period, and they widened the gap with a three from Gunville.
“That kind of half-court or extended zone up there threw us off,” Klein said. “We didn’t really know how to handle that. That’s been something we haven’t seen. So I guess that was kind of the difference maker.”
The Firebirds were sent to the free throw line four times in the first quarter, going 4-of-8. They trailed 14-8 at the end of the first quarter.
They got within two points after SP-M turned it over, getting baskets from Heilman and Brown once again. The teams traded 8-0 runs, with the Royals leading by as many as 10 before Devils Lake got back into it with repeated drives down the court. Jolie Martinson came off the bench to score six in the second quarter, while Emma Hofstad and Brodina also made buckets.
The Firebirds trailed 26-24 before Gunville’s second triple of the game. It was 29-26 Royals at halftime. Martinson and Heilman were tied for the team lead in points, scoring six each. Devils Lake was just 8-of-28 from the floor and 0-of-6 from three-point range.
But it came out with higher energy in the second half. Back-to-back baskets from Heilman gave the Firebirds a lead, and Brodina found the rim to keep them ahead. Beck traded go-ahead threes with Torri Fee. Devils Lake’s lead was as large as 38-34.
Gunville swished her third triple in as many quarters to get SP-M back within a point. The period ended up featuring eight lead changes, with the Royals taking a 45-44 edge into the fourth quarter.
Devils Lake went up 48-45 after baskets by Ava Beck and Brodina. And SP-M’s Beck missed a potential go-ahead layup.
But Gunville came back to haunt the Firebirds yet again. Her fourth triple of the game put the Royals ahead 50-49, and she added a layup for good measure.
Brown missed two free throws that would have tied the game, and Beck hit her third triple of the game for SP-M. Fee kept Devils Lake in it with a three, down 59-56 with 1:21 left, but the last eight points of the game went to the Royals.
“I thought our energy was pretty good,” Klein said. “I just think we kind of got in our funk again where we couldn’t really score or finish. We didn’t really know what to do sometimes with the ball. And then we kind of forced some things, and they were aggressive and physical with us. That’s not good for us.”
With 50.7 seconds left, Klein put in his seniors for one last time. Martinson, Fritel, Anna Shock and Kendra Eckes entered to make it an all-senior lineup.
The team’s six seniors will depart Devils Lake with a state championship and a region championship under their belts.
“They had two rough years as freshmen and sophomores, and then last year we rebounded, bounced right back and won the state title,” Klein said. “So there’s a lot to talk about and remember for them. And they’re great leaders on and off the court. So we’re gonna have to replace them, but we just have to move on and keep reloading or rebuilding.”
Brodina and Brown, the team’s top two scorers this season, still have two years and one year left, respectively, in Firebird red. They were both named to the 2025 all-tournament team.
“It’s gonna be good to build around them,” Klein said. “I think they need to take some leadership roles now from the seniors and lead by example with some of the younger kids that we have coming in junior high.”
Through two years of the three-class basketball system in North Dakota, Devils Lake has a state title, a region title and two state tournament appearances.
It’ll look to keep this program moving forward in the coming years.
“There’s always things we have to work on and improve,” Klein said. “And consistency on offense is a big thing we need to really work on throughout the offseason. But it’ll be huge to have Tylie and Presley, Ava Beck, Mia Elsperger, the other juniors. And so hopefully they step in and become leaders.”
The girls now get to sit back and cheer on the defending-champion boys’ team over the next two weeks. But it’s off until December for Firebird girls’ basketball.
