Kenmare-Bowbells’ Kiley Aufforth goes up for a shot in the lane against Glenburn’s Ava Stevens during the first half of the Region 3 third-place game at the Minot Municipal Auditorium on Thursday, Feb. 26. Mike Kraft/MDN

Following Tuesday’s semifinal loss, Kenmare-Bowbells girls basketball coach Mike Zimmer wrote on the board in the locker room that the goal of reaching the state tournament was still attainable.

Heading into the weekend, that goal remains attainable.

The Honkers are now just one win away from keeping their streak of state tournament appearances alive after eliminating Glenburn, 55-34, in the third-place game of the Region 3 Tournament at the Minot Municipal Auditorium on Thursday, Feb. 26. Kenmare-Bowbells advances to a state qualifier against Washburn on Saturday, Feb. 28, at Bismarck Century High School.

“You gotta move on,” Zimmer said. “I think our experience helped us. Last year, we lost in the region championship and then you turn around and play on Saturday in the qualifying game, so you have to be ready to bounce back. I was really happy with our effort defensively and our turnovers had to be low. We did an awesome job of taking care of the ball.”

Kenmare-Bowbells (19-6) is no stranger to high-pressure games since the inception of the 3-class system three years ago. They have played in a state qualifier each of the last two seasons after falling in the region championship. Last year, the Honkers used the state qualifier as a momentum builder that took them all the way to a runner-up finish at the state tournament.

“We had to forget about the game like it never even happened,” Kenmare-Bowbells’ Kiley Aufforth said. “We couldn’t turn the ball over and we had to play our game. “We always look at the bigger picture of making it to state, so we always know to just forget about it. We don’t focus on the mistakes.”

The Honkers had three players finish in double figures, led by McKenna Mau, who netted 17 points and knocked down a trio of 3-pointers. Taya and Kiley Aufforth also finished in double figures with 14 and 11 points, respectively.

The defense shined for Kenmare-Bowbells, holding the Panthers to their second-lowest scoring output of the season behind only a 29-point performance against Rugby at the beginning of the season. Glenburn entered the contest averaging 56.8 points per game.

The Honkers clamped down on Emma Jones, limiting her to just eight points and shutting her out in the second half. Jones’ last field goal came midway through the second quarter.

“Our goal was to trap Emma and get the ball out of her hands and make it hard for her to get it back and make the other girls score,” Zimmer said. “It worked pretty well. We were running people at her all game trying to get her to get rid of the ball.”

Mila Jones scored more than half of Glenburn’s points, finishing with a game-high 19.

“They are really good basketball players,” Mau said. “We knew we had to help and put a lot of pressure on them and still guard the other players because they can all shoot.”

The Honkers used a 10-0 run at the end of the first quarter and into the second quarter to take a lead they would hold throughout the remainder of the game. Mau hit both of her 3s during the run and Kiley Aufforth drilled another to give the Honkers a 16-8 advantage. Mau connected on her third 3-pointer of the game later in the quarter for a 25-16 lead.

“We knew we had to come out strong with our defense and offense and flow into it and be aggressive and get the win,” Mau said.

Kenmare-Bowbells took a 32-19 lead into the half, with the Panthers hitting only five shots from the field. They did most of their damage at the free-throw line, but even struggled from there, going 9-for-19 in the first half and 11-23 for the game.

The lead ballooned to 19 following a basket from Anna Peterson before Glenburn (19-6) went on one of its only runs of the game. Willa Stevens started a 9-2 run with the Panthers’ lone 3-pointer and Mila Jones and Aubrie Quick added baskets to pull Glenburn to within 10 at 38-28 with 2:38 remaining in the third.

An 8-0 run midway through the fourth quarter sealed the victory and a spot in a state qualifier for the Honkers. Mau, Kiley Aufforth, Taya Aufforth and Kenna Aufforth all contributed during the run to stretch the lead to 52-32.

“We have a couple girls, especially Taya, that draws a lot of attention, so if those other girls can shoot the ball confidently, we’re hard to beat,” Zimmer said. “Kiley Aufforth shot the ball great today and MaKenna Mau shot the ball well again today. Everybody played their part and it was fun to watch.”

The Honkers are now one win away from the state tournament, a place they have found themselves in every year since 2021.

“I’ve really enjoyed the new format because it gives you more of a chance to make the state tournament. I’d like to win the region championship and not have to play a qualifying game, but it’s going to be fun,” Zimmer said.