Skotti Beck (21) of South Prairie-Max attempts to block a shot put up by Valley City's Katie Burchill on Saturday, March 7, during the championship game of the 2026 NDHSAA Division A Girls Basketball State Tournament at the Jamestown Civic Center. JOHN STEINER/Jamestown Sun

Whether it’s in basketball or volleyball, Valley City continues to break the hearts of South Prairie-Max in the postseason.

The Hi-Liners did it twice this year, the first coming in the fall on the volleyball court in Bismarck, when they upset the top-ranked Royals in four sets in the state semifinals. Four months later, Valley City delivered another gut punch to South Prairie-Max, this time on the hardwood in Jamestown.

The Royals led by as many as 15 in the first half, only to see the Hi-Liners rally and successfully defend their state title, claiming the Class A girls basketball state championship once again with a 69-62 victory at the Jamestown Civic Center on Saturday, March 7. Katie Burchill netted a game-high 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds to pace Valley City.

In a rematch of last year’s state semifinals – won by the Hi-Liners – South Prairie-Max jumped out to a 19-7 at the end of the first quarter and scored the first three points of the second to take its largest lead of the game at 15. The Hi-Liners outscored the Royals by 22 points the rest of the way, completely erasing their deficit by the end of the first half. Valley City put up 24 points in the second quarter and went into the locker room tied at 31.

The 69 points South Prairie-Max surrendered was its most to any opponent this season. The previous high was 63 against Turtle Mountain. The Royals entered the state tournament only allowing 37.9 points per game.

The Hi-Liners (22-4) took a 45-41 lead into the fourth quarter and put up another 24-point quarter in the fourth to seal their second straight championship. Valley City had a 19-point advantage at the free-throw line. The Hi-Liners hit 23 of 31 attempts, while the Royals only took six free throws, knocking down four.

The Royals (25-2) put up 35 3-pointers, connecting on 10. Mya Gunville and Skotti Beck each hit three, while Rylee Routledge knocked down two from distance. Routledge finished with a team-high 16 points along with Brianna Rose. Beck added 15 and grabbed nine rebounds.

South Prairie-Max shot 41.4 percent from the field, while the Hi-Liners finished at a 42.6 percent clip. Skye Neilson and Maddy Frieze also finished in double figures for Valley City, finishing with 15 and 11, respectively.

It was the third straight appearance at the state tournament for the Royals as a Class A member after never reaching the tournament in Class B. They finished as state runners-up in 2024, losing to Devils Lake in the title game. The following season, they bested the Firebirds to place third.

This season, the Royals dropped their season opener to Carrington before winning 25 straight and holding the No. 1 ranking for the majority of the year. This season also delivered the Royals their first Region 3 Tournament title.

Beck, Rose, Burchill and Neilson were all named to the all-tournament team. Burchill was also named tournament MVP.