Nedrose High School freshman Marlee Skalicky attempts a jumpshot while TMCHS senior Azure Akealyes attempts to block during their quarterfinals match of the 2026 NDHSAA Region 3A Girls Basketball Tournament on Monday, Feb. 23. Nathan Beitler/MDN

The 2026 NDHSAA Region 3A Girls Basketball Tournament kicked off on Monday, Feb. 23, at the MSU Dome with the top four-seeded teams moving on to the tournament semifinals.

The first-seeded South Prairie-Max Royals kicked off the day with their 85-44 victory over the Stanley Blue Jays. Royals senior Brianna Rose scored the first points of the night with a two-point shot and the Royals kept up their full-court pressure right from the start.

The Royals kept their offense strong and their defense even stronger through the first quarter. The Royals were able to drive up the score to 22-0 before Stanley junior forward Annie Roise put the Blue Jays on the board with a three-point shot.

Although Rose was the first Royals to score, senior Skotti Beck had full control of the first quarter. Beck scored 15 points individually in the eight minutes of play time on three three-pointers and three-two pointers, earning more for her than than the entirety of the Blue Jays’ offense in the first quarter.

The second quarter was just as dominant for the Royals as the first, walking away with a 51-17 lead, tripling the Blue Jay’s score at half time. The Royals finished their first round of the region tournament with an 85-44 victory over the Blue Jays, advancing them to the semifinals. Deck was the top scorer for the Royals, topping out at 18 points total with all 18 coming in the first half of the game. Rose followed close behind with 15 points on the night for the Royals.

The Bottineau High School Stars and the Dunseith High School Dragons took to the court for their match second on the night. The fourth-seeded Stars took home the victory over the seventh-seeded Dragons in a similar fashion as the Royals. Though the Stars had a slimmer lead st the end of the first quarter at 17-10, they were able to keep the pressure high, driving their lead further and further ahead of the Dragons until they ended the game with a score of 71-43.

Sophomore Karsyn Allard led the Stars in points Monday afternoon with 30 points earned individually. The Stars move on to the tournament semifinals where they will play against the South Prairie-Max Royals beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the MSU Dome on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

The second-seeded Turtle Mountain Community High School Braves and the seventh-seeded Nedrose High School Cardinals continued Monday’s trend of top-seed victory as the Braves knocked the Cardinals out of region title contention with their 74-48 victory on Monday night.

The Braves led at the end of all four quarter, giving them the victory and advancing them to the semifinal round.

Senior Aubree Jeanotte led the Braves in points against the Cardinals with 25 points. Junior Hannah Beuchler led the Cardinals in points with 16.

The third-seeded Rugby High School Panthers and the sixth-seeded Des Lacs-Burlington Lakers rounded out Monday night’s games at the MSU Dome with Rugby’s 46-32 victory. The Panthers and the Lakers had the closest of Monday night’s games, with both teams trading the lead back and forth in the first two quarters of the game. The Panthers walked away on top at halftime with their 21-13 lead.

The Lakers were able to work their way back to a tie at 27-27 and took the lead for the first time since the second quarter on a free throw. The Panthers were quickly able to wrestle control back, keeping and widening their lead before ending the game with a 46-32 victory over the Lakers.

The Panthers and the TMC Braves will face off in the semifinals of the tournament 20 minutes after the conclusion of the Royals/Stars game at the MSU Dome on Tuesday, Feb. 24.