Nathan Beitler/MDN South Prairie-Max seniors Skotti Beck (center) and Brianna Rose (center-right) block a shot made by a member of the Devils Lake Firebirds in their home game on Tuesday, Feb. 3.

The South Prairie-Max Royals faced off against their 2024 state championship opponents, the Devils Lake Firebirds, at home on Tuesday night, Feb. 3.

In 2024, the South Prairie-Max Royals went 19-2 in the regular season. The Royals fought their way through the post season to the state championships. There, they faced the Devils Lake Firebirds. Both teams fought hard, but the Firebirds were the ones to walk away with the state title.

Last season, the Royals and the Firebirds faced off just once in the regular season, with the Royals taking their revenge in victory over Devils Lake. The two teams met again in the state championship tournament, only this time, they were fighting out for third place.

The Royals once again took victory, earning the third place title over the Firebirds. This season, the Royals looked to triple up on their wins against Devils Lake.

The Royals hosted the Firebirds at home on Tuesday night, and they came prepared. The Royals took a small lead early on before Royals senior Skotti Beck continually drove up the score. Through the first quarter of the ball game, Beck had eight individual field goals. She scored four two-pointers, two, three-pointers and a single free throw for a total of 15 points in seven minutes of game time. The Royals were already far ahead by the end of the second, leading 26-12 over the Firebirds.

The points were much more spread out amongst the Royals players through the second quarter, with three players earning the team four points each. Junior Myah Rau was lead scorer for the Royals in the second quarter, earning the team six points on three made twos. While the Royals’ offense slowed slightly in the second, their defense kept the Firebirds back just as much. By the end of the first half, the Royals led 46-19.

Beck was back on the court for the Royals in the third quarter, leading the Royals with eight points, followed closely by junior Mya Gunville, who scored six points for the Royals with two made threes.The Royals kept the offensive and defensive pressures high against the Firebirds, earning themselves their third win against Devils Lake 80-34 since their 2024 state loss.

Skotti Beck ran away with the lead in terms of points scored, earning 28 for the Royals, followed by South Prairie-Max junior Rylee Routledge.

With their continued victory over Devils Lake complete, the Royals improve on their season record and expand their win streak to 16. The Royals will also continue their streak of home games when they take on the Des Lacs-Burlington Lakers in a rematch at South Prairie High School on Thursday, Feb. 5.