Jimmy Lafakis/MDN Minot High senior guard Jaxon Gunville (red) dribbles the ball past Bismarck High junior guard Max Tschosik (white) in the first half of Friday evening's WDA Tournament semifinal at the Bismarck Events Center. The Demons seized a 86-80 victory over the Magicians.

BISMARCK — The Bismarck High School boys basketball team relies heavily on two calling cards. After the Demons make 3-pointers, their transition defense speeds up opponents.

No. 2-seeded Bismarck (17-5) found a second-half groove in Friday evening’s WDA Tournament semifinal game against No. 3-seeded Minot High (16-7) at the Bismarck Event Center. The Magicians stole the show in the first half of the 86-80 contest, but the Demons starred in the second frame by scoring 58 points.

The teams’ 3-point shooting splits dictated the game’s ebb and flow. Minot shot 8-for-14 (57.1%) from distance in the first half, but finished 2-for-8 (25%) in the second half.

Bismarck started out with a clunky 4-for-20 (20%) percentage from behind the arc, but bounced back to shoot 10-for-19 (52.6%) in the second frame.

“It’s over,” Minot head coach Dean Winczewski said. “We’ve got to get ready for (the state qualifier). My focus is on Dickinson and getting us prepped for that game. We didn’t take care of the things we needed to in the second half, and that’s my fault as a coach. Now we’ve got to go get better and get ourselves ready.”

Senior guard Jaxon Gunville found success in the first half, shooting 6-for-9 (66.7%) on his 3-pointer attempts. Although Gunville scored 22 of his game-high 32 points in that frame, the Demons came roaring back.

After facing a 41-28 halftime deficit, the Demons outscored the Magi 58-39 in the second half. Bismarck executed its gameplan to near-perfection — the Demons made their long-distance shots and forced Minot into 20 total turnovers.

“We just need to learn to talk more,” Minot senior guard Tucker Olson said. “We need to watch our fouls. We need to box out more. We can get some more rebounds.”

The battle on the glass finished nearly even, with Minot holding a slim 37-36 advantage. But the Demons’ aggressiveness on the offensive glass gave the Magi trouble, as Bismarck led Minot 15-6 in that particular area.

For the second straight night, Minot junior guard Deonte’ Martinez put together a strong second-half performance. Martinez made nine of his 11 attempts and finished with 24 points, but five Demons (Gunner Swanson, Logan Schaubert, Kade Rohlfs, Tarin Walker and Max Tschosik) finished the game in double figures.

That balanced attack paved the path to victory, and the Demons established their tempo late in the half. Swanson led the way with a team-high 17 points, and Bismarck clinched its third win over Minot this season.

“They’re just really good shooters,” Olson said about the Demons. “Even if we put a hand up, there was a chance that it was going to go in. There was nothing we could really do there.”

Next up, Minot will square off against No. 5-seeded Dickinson in a regional qualifier. That game will tip off at 4:15 p.m. this afternoon.

Each team won a game on the other squad’s home floor in the regular season. Most recently, Minot earned an 89-82 victory in Dickinson on Feb. 21.

“We have to be able to get back in transition, guard the basketball and be able to handle things that we can,” Winczewski said. “We’ve got to be able to make better decisions than we did in the second half.”

Jimmy Lafakis covers Minot High School sports and Class B high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @JJLII30.