Sean Williams/MDN – Carson Yale (14) of Des Lacs-Burlington takes a jump shot in a game at the Minot Auditorium earlier this year.

BISMARCK – Playing their way to the final day of the Class B Boys Basketball State Tournament were the Des Lacs-Burlington Lakers, who matched up with the Beulah Miners in the third-place game on Saturday night.

Although the Lakers are coming off a tough loss to Central Cass in the semifinals, they gave themselves an opportunity to not only finish the season strong but also end their time in Class B on a positive note as they are set to bump up a class with the three-class system being implemented next year.

In a game that saw both teams trade jabs, the Miners were able to overcome 34 points from Carson Yale and go on a late run to take down the Lakers by a final of 66-57.

Struggling to get going offensively, the Lakers got early contributions from Ty Hughes and Yale at the free-throw line to make it a 4-4 game with 4:39 left. It wasn’t until Yale found Braylon Fisher on a swift cut to the basket for their first field goal with 3:42 left in the opening quarter.

The Miners responded by closing out the quarter on a 7-0 run that was sparked by Aidan O’Brien, taking a 14-8 lead into the second frame.

Beginning to show signs of developing a consistent offensive attack were the Lakers, who got baskets from Yale and Paxton Ystaas to open the second quarter. The brief surge made it a 19-13 Miners’ lead, but once again, Beulah would close out strong by taking a 29-22 lead into the locker room.

Hoping to give his team momentum to carry into the second half, Yale rose for a slam dunk in transition to close out the scoring in the first half. The dunk gave Yale 16 of the Lakers’ 22 points at the break.

Ystaas would provide that momentum for the Lakers, as he opened the scoring in the second half and then found Rylan Olson in transition to trim their deficit to 29-26 early in the third. O’Brien of the Miners, however, would answer twice in the frame to help keep his team in front.

The Lakers would storm all the way back in the third quarter, taking the lead on a 3-pointer by Yale, then eventually holding on to a 42-39 advantage heading into the final quarter of play.

In what was a game full of momentum and runs, the Miners would respond by going on an 8-0 run to open the fourth quarter, highlighted by Trace Beauchamp connecting on a 3-pointer to make it a 47-42 Miners’ lead with 6:05 to play.

The Lakers countered on another basket from Yale and a pair of free throws by Fisher, but then the Miners would pull away courtesy of two players coming up big down the stretch.

Tarren Larson of Beulah responded to the Lakers’ run by scoring on two possessions to push his team’s lead to 55-46 with 3:13 to play. Despite the duo of Yale and Fisher helping the Lakers fight until the end, Larson and O’Brien of the Miners were ready to answer, as Beulah secured a third-place finish at state with a 66-57 win.

Yale’s 34 points led all scorers and the Lakers. Behind him was Fisher with nine points, Ystaas with eight points, Olson with five points, and Hughes with one point.

The Miners were led by O’Brien’s 18 points, followed by 15 points from T. Larson, 11 points from Hettich, 10 points each from Beauchamp and Schirado, and two points from B. Larson.

For the Lakers, they had a strong showing during the Class B Boys Basketball State Tournament by finishing in fourth place. In their first state tournament since 1998, they were able to make it to the semifinals and play on all three days.

In a situation that will see them move up a class next year, it’s safe to say that the Lakers made the most of their opportunity to play in the final Class B state tournament of its current format.