Minot's Kinley Bartsch (4) looks for a lane to the basket past St. Mary's Journey Oukrop (25) during a West Region quarterfinal game at the Bismarck Event Center on Thursday, March 5, 2026. Tanner Ecker/The Bismarck Tribune

The Minot High Majettes continued their winning ways on Friday night, Mar. 6, as they advance to the 2026 NDHSAA Division AA, West Region Girls Basketball Tournament Championship after their 75-51 win over the Bismarck High School Demons.

Coming off the back of a historic quarterfinals game against the St. Mary’s Saints that saw Minot High senior Leelee Bell cross over 3,000 career points, the Majettes took back to the court to close out their drive to the West Region Championship match.

The Majettes had a close yet decisive lead at the end of the first half at 32-27. They increased the pressure through the second half of the game, outscoring the Demons 43-24 to give themselves a hard-fought win in the semifinals with a final score of 75-51.

Leelee Bell led in scoring for the Majettes, taking home 24 points individually. Senior Maggie Fricke followed close behind as the only other Majette to earn double digit points on the night with a total of 22.

The Majettes will face off against the Century High School Patriots on Saturday, Mar. 7, in the West Region Championship starting at 6 p.m.

The Minot High boys’ basketball team defeated the Minot North Sentinels in their losers-out round of the 2026 NDHSAA Division AA, West Region Boys Basketball Tournament.

After both the Sentinels’ and the Magi’s losses in the quarterfinals of the tournament, they were scheduled to face off on Friday night, Mar. 6, for a chance to a state tournament invite. Though both teams fought hard, the Magi walked away with the win after outscoring the Sentinels 69-25 and 38-25 in the first and second halves of the game respectively.

Though the Sentinels’ post-season run is over, the Magi will still have a chance at earning a state tournament invite.

They are scheduled to play the Dickinson Mavericks in a State Qualifiers match beginning at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday, Mar. 7.