Robert Brewer/MDN Minot sophomore Darik Dissette attacks the basket in the opening moments of Thursday night's WDA playoff game against Legacy.

The Minot High boys basketball team qualified for the Class A state tournament by virtue of its 71-53 region semifinal victory over Bismarck Legacy on Thursday night.

The first half started out as a closely contested affair as Minot held a slight 11-9 lead. Then the floodgates opened up as Minot went on a massive 20-2 run to take complete control. The run was capped off by a Michael Ross layup inside of eight minutes to go in the period. By halftime, the Magicians enjoyed a 39-17 lead in front of their home fans.

Legacy got to within eight points of Minot in the second half, but the Magicians held their ground thanks in large part to good ball movement on offense, as well as consistent shooting throughout most of the period. Deonte’ Martinez led all scorers with 17 points, and Eric Wentz added 15 in the Minot victory.

Up next, Minot will take on third-seeded Bismarck High School on Saturday in the WDA Regional Championship. Bismarck won its semifinal matchup against Jamestown 79-70 on Thursday. It will be the rubber match between the two schools as Minot recorded an 84-76 win over the Demons on Jan. 26 and Bismarck defeated the Magicians 84-76 back on Jan. 8.