Berthold’s Audra Deaver drives to the basket against Divide County’s Jurnee Wehrman during the first half of a Region 3 Tournament quarterfinal game on Monday, Feb. 23, at the Minot Municipal Auditorium. Mike Kraft/MDN

Shayne Simons didn’t want Monday’s Region 3 Tournament quarterfinal game to be her last and neither did any of her teammates or coaches.

And it wasn’t.

The lone Berthold girls basketball senior is guaranteed at least two more games in a Bombers uniform after they staved off a gutsy effort from Divide County, 72-63, on Feb. 23 at the Minot Municipal Auditorium to advance to the region semifinals. Simons was one of three Bombers in double figures, netting 13 points as Berthold held off a late run by the Maroons.

“I know that there is always the chance, but I came in tonight thinking the same thing I always do and that’s that I want to win,” Simons said.

Berthold’s victory sets up a semifinal matchup with District 5 champions Kenmare-Bowbells on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 6 p.m. The two teams didn’t meet during the regular season.

The Bombers (17-6) did battle the Maroons earlier in the season, coming away with a convincing 71-48 victory on Dec. 30. Monday’s contest was much closer despite Berthold threatening to blow the game wide open several times. But like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, Divide County kept coming back.

Ella Brown delivered the dagger to the heart of the Maroons with a 3-pointer with 55 seconds left to give the Bombers a 70-62 lead. Divide County had trimmed Berthold’s lead from 13 down to five thanks to an 8-0 run before Brown’s third 3-pointer of the contest.

“There was a lot of pressure,” Brown said. “We have one senior and we didn’t want that to be her last game, so we wanted to end on a good note and keep going further. It’s been a tough season, but it hasn’t been all bad. I’m just really glad we were able to put our best foot forward and move on to the next.”

The last time the Bombers stepped onto the Auditorium floor nine days ago, they were watching Glenburn celebrate a District 6 championship while they had to settle for second place. The time off was good for the Bombers, as it allowed them to reset and refocus.

“It’s been long, but it’s been really good for us,” Simons said. “It’s been a good time for us to keep connecting with one another on the court and off the court and continuing to build those relationships with one another.”

The Bombers made several runs over the course of the game, starting in the final minutes of the opening quarter. A bucket by Divide County’s Paige Smithberg gave the Maroons a 10-9 lead before Berthold closed the quarter on a 10-2 run to take a 22-12 lead. Brown hit her first 3-pointer of the night and added two more baskets from in close. Addison Neshem, Lily Schepp and Simons also scored during the run. Brown netted 12 of her 21 points in the first quarter.

“It gives me a lot of confidence to keep shooting the ball,” Brown said. “And for my team, too, it helps build us all up in energy and confidence.”

The Maroons (15-8) used the long ball to mount its first comeback, knocking down a trio of 3s to close within 28-23. Skylar Wehrman hit a pair of 3s and Jurnee Wehrman had the other. But the Bombers once again went on a run to end the half, scoring eight or the final 10 points to take a 36-25 lead into the locker room.

The Bombers led by as many as 14 early in the third quarter. Again, Divide County had another run in them, going on a 10-2 run to cut Berthold’s lead down to 47-41 with 2:27 left in the third. The Maroons got the deficit down to three after a 3 from Skylar Wehrman and a pair of free throws from Haugland Greenlee.

“Our girls have battled hard all year,” Divide County coach Kent Harding said. “They play hard from opening tip all the way through. They continued to battle and didn’t get down. We missed a few box outs and a few things that could have changed the tide a little bit more, but they battled. They play tons and tons of minutes and give everything they have every night.”

A bucket from Brown and a 3 from Simons pushed the lead back to eight before Greenlee knocked down a shot in the final minute, sending the Maroons into the final quarter down 54-48.

“We can’t get frantic and they’re going to have their runs, but we’re going to have our runs,” Simons said. “The thing that matters the most is who keeps shooting the ball and continuing to work their hardest.”

With her team leading 58-50, Simons had her hand in Berthold’s next six points. She assisted on a pair of fast-break baskets by Audra Deaver and added a bucket of her own to cap off her night and give the Bombers a 64-50 advantage.

“The last three weeks of practice, she has been the senior,” Berthold coach Ken Keysor said. “She took the leadership role on her shoulders and has done a fantastic job for us.”

The Maroons had one last gasp in them, using an 8-0 run to get back to within 67-62 with 1:58 left. Skylar Wehrman had five points and Jurnee Wehrman hit a 3 during the run.

“It was a situation where we left three or four wide open shots for the Wehrman sisters,” Keysor said. “They’re good shooters. That’s one of those things where once we called a timeout, we regrouped and basically said that the only way they’re beating us here is from beyond the arc, so the ladies took care of it themselves.”

That was as close as Divide County would get, as Brown delivered the dagger 3 a minute later to send them to the semifinals and reduce the amount of pressure with Tuesday’s game not being a do-or-die like Monday’s contest.

“Right now, if we have three more games, we just have to win two out of three games,” Keysor said. “It’s not like you have to win it all. It’s a lot less hectic.”

Neshem finished with 21 points alongside Brown to lead all scorers. Smithberg led the Maroons with 17 points. Skylar Wehrman and Jurnee Wehrman netted 16 and 15 points, respectively. The Maroons were making their first regional appearance under the 3-class system.

District champs advance to semifinals

Fresh off their respective district championships, both the District 5 champions Kenmare-Bowbells and District 6 champions Glenburn won their Region 3 openers and advanced to the semifinal round.

The Honkers got a 19-point performance from Taya Aufforth in their 57-41 victory over Surrey and the Panthers pulled away in the second half to knock off Powers Lake-Burke Central, 64-50, in the quarterfinal round on Monday, Feb. 23, at the Minot Municipal Auditorium.

In the first game of the day, Kenmare-Bowbells (18-5) jumped out to an 18-10 lead at the end of the first quarter and took a 35-22 edge into halftime. Aufforth had 15 of her points in the opening 16 minutes. She finished with nine of her team’s 24 field goals.

Kenna Aufforth joined Taya in double figures with 12 points.

The Honkers limited the Mustangs (10-13) to eight points in the third quarter, growing their lead to 46-30. Kenmare-Bowbells led throughout the second half.

Laney Will led Surrey with 13 points.

The Honkers will face Berthold – the No. 2 seed from District 6 – in the semifinals on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 6 p.m. at the Minot Municipal Auditorium.

Glenburn (19-4) found itself in a battle in the opening half in its game with Powers Lake-Burke Central. The Panthers led 27-24 over the fourth seed from District 5 at halftime before outscoring the Ranchers (15-8) by 11 in the second half. They clamped down defensively in the fourth quarter, holding PL-BC to six points and two field goals. Eastlin Jensen had both baskets and finished with a team-high 19 points.

Glenburn had three players finish in double figures, led by Emma Jones with 25. She had at least five points in each quarter. Mila Jones poured in 18 and Aubrie Quick added 11.

The Panthers put up 24 points in the third quarter to build a 51-44 advantage before pulling away in the final frame.

Glenburn will play the winner of Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood and Tioga in the second semifinal at approximately 7:30 p.m. The final quarterfinal round game did not end prior to deadline.