Alex Eisen/MDN Minot High sophomore Mariah Evenson (4) looks to get around Devils Lake defender Karli Krogfoss (right) in a Class A girls basketball game played Saturday in Minot. No. 1-ranked Devils Lake won 71-34.

Devils Lake left no doubts as to why they are No. 1-ranked Class A girls basketball team in North Dakota Saturday evening in Minot.

The undefeated Firebirds (13-0, 12-0 EDC) scorched the Majettes (6-8, 6-7 WDA) for a 71-34 road nonconference victory.

The pressure that comes with facing the top team in the state rattled the Majettes.

“I thought we played scared,” MHS head coach Jason Schwarz said. “We had scared looks on our faces. We shot scared. We shot layups scared. We shot free throws scared. We shot threes scared. It was like we were hoping and praying that they would go in.”

MHS senior guard Paige Rosencrans echoed Schwarz’s statement: “We went through our patches, but we came in scared. We can’t let that happen again.”

Devils Lake stepped on the gas early, scoring the first 10 points.

More impressive, however, was the Firebirds’ defensive prowess. Minot was held scoreless for the first five minutes of the game before Rosencrans went end-to-end for a layup.

“It’s too easy for us to slip into a mode of, ‘Oh no, here we go again,’ because of what we went through last year,” Schwarz said. “We haven’t broken out of that yet.”

The Firebirds flustered the Majettes constantly with a full-court press.

“They want you to dribble,” Schwarz said. “As soon as you start to dribble, they take away options. It’s really hard to see the whole floor. We have got pressed all week against Mandan and Bismarck. They all pressed us with different presses. So, we thought we were a little more ready for it, but they are just so quick, and they have been doing it since junior high.”

The deficit expanded to 29-5 before Minot got some offense going at the end of the first half.

Regardless, the Firebirds led 39-17 at the break. Not only was the scoreboard not in the Majettes’ favor, but Minot had to deal with foul trouble as well.

“They had already stretched the lead out a little bit by the time we had three (players) with three fouls,” Schwarz said. “We weren’t playing well or shooting well. So, I don’t think it would have mattered if they were on the floor or not.”

Mariah Evenson was the only Majette to reach double figures with 14 points. Allie Nelson was held to 8 points on 4-for-8 shooting.

Devils Lake got double-digit point contributions from Ramsey Brown (14), Jess Mertens (12) and Karli Krogfoss (10).

Both teams turned to their benches in the final minutes, as the end result was firmly in hand.

“Sometimes bad things happen to you for a reason,” Schwarz said. “Hopefully, at the end of the season when we are in a really big game at tournament time, we have learned our lesson. We can’t play scared.”

The Majettes are currently in a stretch of seven straight home games. Minot’s next home contest is Tuesday against Turtle Mountain Community High School. Tipoff at 7:30 p.m.

Alex Eisen covers Minot State athletics, the Minot Minotauros and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.