Jimmy Lafakis/MDN Minot High girls basketball players embrace after Saturday's WDA Tournament state qualifier against Mandan at the Bismarck Event Center. The Braves earned a 58-43 victory over the Majettes.

BISMARCK — When the playoffs come around, experience takes precedent. In order to clinch a state tournament berth, the veteran leaders on the Mandan High School girls basketball team rose to the occasion.

The No. 4-seeded Braves (16-8) seized control of the game early in the second half and never looked back. Although No. 6-seeded Minot (12-13) put together a solid first half, Mandan’s outside shooting buoyed the Braves in Saturday’s WDA Tournament state qualifier. The Braves won 58-43.

“For us to play as well as we did in the first half is awesome,” Minot head coach Jason Schwarz said. “It can be overwhelming. I think the second half got overwhelming for us. Mandan came out and played at a whole nother level, and it was good for our younger kids to see that. We’ve got some good kids coming back. They needed a taste of what this was like.”

In the first half, Minot’s zone press created a fair amount of trouble. The Majettes recorded deflections and forced a bevy of Mandan turnovers.

The Majettes’ offense came and went in waves, but their defense proved sturdy. Minot closed out on Mandan’s shooters and effectively limited penetration.

“We knew that they were beatable because we beat them the last time we played them,” Minot senior forward Allie Nelson said. “We knew coming into the game that they would have a bad taste in their mouths. We had to bring everything we had and play all the way through the buzzer. It just didn’t fall our way tonight.”

After an inconsistent first half, the Braves announced their intent at the second half’s onset. Mandan’s shots started to fall at a rapid pace, and the Braves attacked the paint with a newfound aggression.

“They know what this atmosphere is like and what’s at stake,” Schwarz said of the Braves. “They have a tradition with their program and all of the state championships they have won. The Miss Basketball’s that they’ve had, it’s just such a rich tradition. It feeds itself all the way down through their feeder programs. That has a lot to do with it. They’re in this arena and this atmosphere a lot.”

The Braves’ blitz widened the gap. The game’s greatest discrepancy stemmed from the 3-point shooting numbers — Mandan shot 8-for-21 (38.1%), while Minot shot 1-for-20 (5%).

Nelson scored a game-high 21 points, accounting for nearly half of Minot’s total. Mandan’s Lakyn Darras posted a double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds) and Sydney Gustavsson added 15 points.

The Majettes will graduate six seniors. Nelson, Becca Tschetter, Paige Rosencrans, Lauren McLean, Landry Maragos and Tia Haskins represented Minot High on the court for the final time.

“These seniors that I’ve been with, they’ve been the core group for as long as I can remember,” Nelson said. “To go out there with them for the last time was special to me. I am so proud of everyone for contributing everything that they could and giving it their all.”

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