Valley City went into the halftime break with a seven-point lead only to watch it fade away in the second half as unforced errors allowed Devils Lake to steal a 59-57 win away from the Hi-Liners.
The first quarter was one of missed opportunities for Valley City as they failed to finish at least three layups from in-close as they only managed to scrape together ten points in the opening frame. Fortunately for Valley City, their defense would hold the Firebirds to 29% shooting in the first quarter as Devils Lake went into the second quarter holding a slim 13-10 lead. Leading scorers for both sides at the end of one quarter were Katie Burchill for Valley City, who finished with four points, while Tylie Brodina finished with five.
The second quarter would be a defensive masterclass from Valley City as they held Devils Lake to 16% shooting in the frame, shackling them to only six points. Burchill would again shine, finishing the first half with an 11-point ten rebound double-double. Complimenting the scoring of Burchill was the consistency of Tesa Olson, who would add six points of her own as Valley took a 26-19 point lead into halftime.
Turnovers were an issue in the first half for Valley City, as they finished with 16 at the half. The third quarter would see the turnovers go from a mild annoyance to a genuine hindrance as the Hi-Liners turned it over 14 times in the third quarter. The Firebirds would respond with ruthless efficiency, going 10-19 from the field as the Valley City lead dissipated within the first three minutes of the quarter. A 25-12 third quarter in favor of the Firebirds would see Devils Lake head into the final frame with a 44-38 lead.
The fourth quarter would see the Hi-Liners mount various charges only to watch Devils Lake match them in kind. Valley City’s free throw shooting and a gutsy three-pointer by Kailee Nielson would pull the Hi-Liners within two points. With under 20 seconds to play, Firebirds guard Presley Brown broke through the initial wave of Valley City defenders as the Hi-Liners desperately tried to commit a foul to extend the game. The foul by Dacota Potratz was determined to be intentional, which gifted the Firebirds two shots and the ball.
Three made foul shots later, the Firebirds possessed a 59-54 with under ten seconds to play. Greta Goven would bank in a three-pointer but could not stop the clock after the made-basket time expired, gifting the Firebirds a 59-57 win. The Hi-Liners turned the ball over 36 times in the game as Devils Lake finished the game with 36 points from those Valley City turnovers.
The next game for Valley City will be tomorrow at 3:00 pm in the 3rd Place Game, where they’ll face the loser of the Thompson and South-Prairie Max game. That game can be heard on 1490AM/96.3FM KOVC.
Ivy Real Estate Group Player of the Game: Katie Burchill