JAMESTOWN, ND. (NewsDakota.com) – The Jamestown Blue Jay girls battled with Mandan in the first half but pulled away in the final eight minutes despite foul trouble to beat the Braves 66-53.

With the victory, Jamestown heads into the state tournament as the #4 overall seed coming out of the west region. It will be the first appearance for the girls in state since the 2014 season, and they will play the winner of Shanley/Fargo Davies out of the east.

For the first time since 2014, the Blue Jays have advanced to the state tournament!

Jamestown 66
Mandan 53 #NDPreps pic.twitter.com/XzJ0rnJenj

— Jamestown 107.1 (@1071James) March 6, 2021

The Blue Jays were led in scoring by both Grace Hegerle and Breanne Oettle, each finishing with 13 points. Hegerle pulled in 10 rebounds for a double-double, and Oettle went 5-for-6 from the foul line.

Jamestown dealt with foul trouble throughout the afternoon as two starters, Katie Falk and Annie Nabwe, both fouled out with more than five minutes to go. Despite the foul trouble, the Jays were able to score 15 points off the bench in the second half and hit 13/18 free throws.

Nabwe ended up in double figures with 11 points and four rebounds, as well as a pair of assists. Senior Jordan Finck found her stroke from long range in the game, converting on 3 of 4 attempts and scoring 10 points.

Jamestown moves to 15-8 overall on the year, and have now won back-to-back games headed into the state tournament. The Blue Jays will play at noon on Friday at the Bismarck Event Center to open up the state tournament in girls’ action.