James Jackson/MDN Our Redeemer’s senior forward Elise Altringer (12) sealed the semifinal win for the Knights in an overtime instant classic on Friday night.

Less than two weeks removed from their most recent hardwood showdown, the No. 3-seed Des Lacs-Burlington Lakers had an appetite for revenge on Friday evening when they took the floor against a well-oiled No. 2-seed Our Redeemer’s Knights basketball machine in a District 12 Girls’ Basketball Tournament semifinal showdown at the Minot Municipal Auditorium.

Winners of their past four games, including a 55-36 victory against No. 7-seed Berthold in Thursday’s quarterfinals action, the No. 2-seed Our Redeemer’s Knights (16-4 overall, 5-1 District 12) used inside-outside firepower and clutch free throws down the stretch to score a 35-33 overtime win over the No. 3-seed Des Lacs-Burlington Lakers (10-8 overall, 5-2 District 12), whose balance of youth and experience propelled the team to an opening-round defeat of the No. 7-seed Glenburn Panthers.

For both teams, a break-neck tempo dominated the pace of the first three minutes of action, as frenetic play eventually gave way to a putback basket in the paint by Our Redeemer’s senior center Abby Griedl.

Griedl’s bucket was followed quickly by a mid-range jumper just outside the paint by DLB junior center Zannah Bjerklie, knotting the contest at 2-2 with five minutes remaining in the quarter.

With offense in short supply for both teams, defense and rebounding took on an enhanced importance, keeping scores low as the Knights took a two-point, 8-6 lead into the second quarter.

Point production began to pick up for both squads in the next eight minutes of play, as DLB freshman forward Logen Ystaas and Our Redeemer’s senior floor general Maya Vibeto attempted to inject a burst of offensive momentum into their team’s offenses.

Aiming to crank up the pressure on the Lakers’ backcourt, the Knights deployed a full-court press at the 2-minute mark, looking to force turnovers that could potentially lead to points as the teams stayed close on the scoreboard at 17-9 in favor of Our Redeemer’s.

After a timeout with five seconds remaining until the half by Knights head coach Hart Andes resulted in a fruitless last-chance possession, the impressive crowd in attendance at the Minot Municipal Auditorium saw Our Redeemer’s take a double-digit, 19-9 lead into the locker room.

Wasting no time in trading shots coming into the third quarter, the Knights’ Griedl and Vibeto and the Lakers’ Bjerklie and sophomore guard Kaylee Werner jump-started a scoring stretch that resulted in Our Redeemer’s holding on to a 23-14 edge with 4:14 showing on the clock.

However, sparked by an old-fashioned three-point play courtesy of DLB sophomore forward Ava Brown to close out the third quarter, the Lakers proceeded to generate the most timely scoring burst of the contest thus far by either team, putting together a 7-2 run to reduce the Our Redeemer’s edge to one possession at 27-24 with 4:44 remaining in regulation.

Knocking down a huge three-point bucket to the delight of the Lakers student section, Bjerklie brought the semifinal game to its tightest point since tip-off with two minutes to go, guaranteeing a five-star finish to the semifinal showdown.

Doling out more action in the final minute than the other 31 combined, a number of missed opportunities both at the free throw line and in chaotic offensive sequences by both teams culminated in game-tying free throws by DLB sophomore forward Kaylee Werner that sent the contest into overtime.

Packing a season’s worth of emotion and play into one five-minute extravaganza, both DLB and Our Redeemer’s had numerous opportunities to definitively capture the win in extra time, but ultimately it was clutch shooting from the charity stripe and a huge blocked shot by Knights senior forward Elise Altringer that sealed a 35-33 Our Redeemer’s victory in the District 12 Tournament instant classic.

In the win, Maya Vibeto pocketed 19 points for Our Redeemer’s, followed by nine points for Aubrey Griedl, and seven points for Elise Altringer.

For the Lakers, Kaylee Werner netted nine points, along with seven points for Logen Ystaas, six points for Ava Brown, five points for Zannah Bjerklie, and two points apiece for Paige Berard, Katelynn Berg, and Allie Glasoe.

When asked about his team’s focus heading into tomorrow’s title game, Our Redeemer’s head coach Hart Andes said, “I’m just so proud of this team. We’ve worked so hard to get to this point, and right now we’re going to enjoy this win and get prepared for tomorrow.”

Today will see Our Redeemer’s challenge South Prairie-Max for the District 12 title, Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood against Des Lacs-Burlington at 4 p.m., and Berthold take on Surrey.