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Passa, defense leads Bishop Ryan past Lewis & Clark Berthold

Photo courtesy of Al Christianson Bishop Ryan's McKinlee Harmon (21) puts up a shot during a District 12 semifinal matchup Friday at the Minot Auditorium.

Two games in to the District 12 Tournament, the Bishop Ryan girls basketball team has found a winning formula: play lockdown defense and get sophomore forward Emma Passa open looks offensively.

The Lions executed perfectly on both fronts Friday, taking down Lewis & Clark Berthold 43-29 in the District 12 Tournament semifinals. With the win, Ryan automatically qualifies for the Region 6 Tournament and advances to tonight’s championship match with Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood. Meanwhile, LCB takes on Our Redeemer’s in a region qualifier matchup.

This was the second night in a row the Lions’ defense has held an opponent to less than 30 points after a 38-27 victory over Glenburn in the opening round Thursday.

“I was very proud of my defense,” Bishop Ryan coach April Nakatani said. “I’ve always thought defense was the key to winning any game. If you work hard on defense, you’ll usually execute offensively. I’m just proud of the girls.”

Passa had her second straight night of scoring at least 20 points, finishing with an even 20 after putting up 21 in the win against Glenburn.

“She’s been tremendous,” Nakatani said. “I’m loving it and I’m loving that I get to see her grow for the next two years. She’s coming out of her shell and element from this year is huge, especially when you lose eight girls from last year’s team. We started with a new set of girls and I’m just proud of the leader she’s become.”

Bishop Ryan coasted from the beginning, racing out to a 23-11 halftime lead and taking a 33-24 advantage into the final quarter.

That was a much different outcome from last time the pair of team’s matched up, as the Lions escaped with a 41-38 victory on Jan. 11.

“We played our game this time,” Nakatani said. “That’s the one thing I told our girls during halftime, we just took control of the game. We knew we had to push back and I think that was a huge difference in tonight’s game.”

In addition to Passa’s game-high 20 points, McKinlee Harmon chipped in 12 for the Lions. LCB didn’t have a player in double figures, but Corina Pabian led the team with nine points.

With the win behind them, the Lions have their eyes set on winning another District 12 championship.

“We’re going to continue how we’ve been playing,” Nakatani said. “If we can do that, anything can happen. This District tournament has been even for everyone, every game is possible and I love the competition this has brought out in everyone.”

Garrick Hodge covers Minot State athletics, the Minot Minotauros and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @Garrick_Hodge

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