James Jackson/MDN Top-seed Thompson Tommies senior Clara Stevens notched nine first half points en route to heavy contributions to her team’s 55-50 semifinal victory over No. 5-seed Garrison at the MSU Dome on Friday evening.

After showcasing the capacity of their offensive arsenal by toppling Kenmare/Bowbells in the state quarterfinals, the No. 5-seed Garrison Troopers engaged in hardwood warfare against top-seeded Thompson in Friday’s semifinal showdown at the Minot State University Dome.

Fighting off a relentless No. 5-seed Garrison Troopers (23-3) squad, the No. 1-seed Thompson Tommies used multiple scoring outbursts across the second half to eventually clinch a 55-50 victory and a spot in the NDHSAA Class B Girls Basketball State Tournament championship.

Carrying over a bit of scoring momentum from their win over No. 4-seed Kenmare/Bowbells, Garrison needed just 16 seconds to nab the first lead of the contest and eventually break out to a 4-0 lead courtesy of baskets by Emily Schlehr to kickstart the Troopers offense.

Although needing nearly two minutes to get on the scoreboard, Thompson’s Kya Hurst converted a trip to the charity stripe into the Tommies’ first points of the contest and keeping her team within one possession of Garrison at 4-2.

Building on Hurst’s free throws, Thompson proceeded to parlay a timely burst of scoring momentum into points, orchestrating an 11-0 run before Schlehr netted her third bucket and sixth point of the game to bring the score to 11-6 in favor of the Tommies with 2:14 remaining in the first quarter.

Heading into the second quarter knotted at 11-11, neither team could piece together a gap-widing offensive spurt, staying within striking distance of each other and trading leads across the bulk of the eight minutes leading into halftime.

Along with Schlehr’s eight points, Garrison received offensive production from Mia Gehring and Kaitlyn Zook, while Clara Stevens tallied a team-high nine points for Thompson to give the Tommies a 23-22 advantage after two quarters.

Entering the second half, six unanswered points by Thompson’s Hurst stretched the Tommies’ lead to 29-22 just two minutes into the third quarter.

However, Garrison was steadfast in their refusal to go away, continuing to rally on the backs of leading scorers Gehring, Zook, and Karli Klein to pull to within four points of Thompson with the score 38-34 heading into the final eight minutes of action.

With just one quarter left to punch their ticket to a championship showdown against Central Cass, the Tommies built a nine-point, 50-41 lead with 4:12 remaining as they looked to sound the death knell for Garrison.

Yet, still refusing to cede defeat with only 1:33 remaining, Garrison marched into striking range on a Zook jumper from behind the arc to put the Troopers within one possession of Thompson at 53-50.

Answering back with what ultimately served as the contest’s dagger, the Tommies’ Olivia Dick knocked down a 12-foot jumper just outside the paint for what unfolded as the game-sealing basket in Thompson’s 55-50 semifinal victory.

Kya Hurst led the Tommies with 14 points in the win, along with 11 points by Clara Stevens, 10 points for Brenna Martin, nine points for Addison Sage, seven points for Sydney Schwabe, and four points for Olivia Dick.

For Garrison, Kaitlyn Zook and Karli Klein netted 14 points each, in addition to 10 points for Mia Gehring, eight points for Cara Schlehr, and four points for Emily Schlehr.

Punching their ticket to the NDHSAA Class B Girls Basketball State Tournament championship, the No. 1-seed Thompson Tommies clash with No. 2-seed Central Cass for the Class B crown on Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Minot State University Dome.