Devils Lake dominates Northern Cass in 64-42 Division A state quarterfinal game
Feb. 29—MINOT — Devils Lake coach Justin Klein said the motto surrounding his Firebirds' team is "unleash the chaos."
"It was kind of chaotic" on the court Thursday, he said, in No. 3 Devils Lake's 64-42 win over No. 6 Northern Cass.
But the Firebirds executed well on numerous fronts, especially defensively, that the occasional errant shot didn't impact the game.
Devils Lake totaled 32 steals in the win and scored 40 points off turnovers.
"The coaches told us to just keep pressure on the guards and just really (push) them out of their comfort zone," Devils Lake's Tylie Brodina said. "I think that really helped."
Klein said the first game in the state tournament is always the hardest, but the Firebirds were in control, leading for over 26 minutes in their opener.
Brodina, a freshman, had a dominant 23-point performance for the Firebirds. She connected on three of Devils Lake's six three-pointers and also tallied seven steals and five rebounds.
"I like her intensity on offense," Klein said. "She's always looking to score. She's a very offensive minded player, and very confident within herself, very confident within the system, especially as a freshman."
Brodina added that her teammates "believe in me, so I think that just really helps having somebody support you every time you go on to the court."
"It just gives confidence, and I like it," she said.
Presley Brown scored 13 points and Torri Fee grabbed seven boards. Devils Lake shot 36.2% and was 6-for-18 from three.
The Firebirds double teamed Northern Cass star Haidyn Crockett the entire game, limiting her to 15 points. Josie Jensen led the Jaguars with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Tess Jalbert had 12 rebounds.
Northern Cass shot 12-for-38 from the floor and went 0-for-7 from three.
"They came out, and they created chaos," Northern Cass coach D.C. Lucas said. "They got a ton of turnovers and executed their game plan. We just couldn't withstand the pressure and that's what ultimately hurt us tonight."
Devils Lake will face No. 7 Valley City on Friday in the first semifinal at 6:30 p.m. at the Minot State Dome. The Firebirds faced the Hi-Liners twice this season. Devils Lake won the first 62-29 but dropped the second 70-54.
"We have to be more disciplined," Klein said. "We have to keep them off the boards. We were prepping, probably, for Bottineau, but now it's Valley City. We'll take it."
