Tournament Tip-Off: Class B girls basketball state tournament

MINOT, N.D. (KFYR) - The Tournament Tip-Off web page is a direct source for all the information you need on teams heading to the Class B Girls Basketball State Tournament March 5-7 in Minot. Check back here for scores and highlights throughout the postseason.

State Championship

#3 LaMoure-Litchville-Marion defeated #1 Central McLean 64-59

LaMoure-Litchville-Marion outscored the Cougars 23-11 in the first quarter and never looked back on its way to the first state championship in program history. The Loboes defeated the Cougars, 64-49. The Loboes finish the season with a 26-2 overall record.

Addie Smith finished for the Loboes by earning Tournament MVP honors.

Central McLean’s Morgan Snyder had 33 points in the loss.

Placement Games

State Semifinals

#3 LaMoure-Litchville-Marion defeated #2 Benson County 57-29

Game Recap:

LaMoure-Litchville-Marion is off to the program’s first state title with a dominant win over defending champions Benson County. The Loboes held the Wildcats to 20% from the field and three points in the third quarter. L-L-M collected 46 total rebounds, and Norah DelaBarre registered a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. The Loboes will play for a state title for the first time in program history.

#1 Central McLean defeated #4 Berthold 47-37

Central McLean girls’ basketball will play for a state championship for the first time in program history. The Cougars defeated Berthold 47-37 in the semifinal round. Cougars’ junior Morgan Snyder led the way once again by scoring 27 points. The Cougars scored 20 points in the first quarter to jump out to an early lead, which proved to be the difference maker down the stretch. The Cougars will play the No. 3 seed LaMoure-Litchville-Marion for the Class B State Championship.

Consolation Semifinals

State Quarterfinals

#2 Benson Co. defeated #7 Edgeley-Kulm-Montpelier 65-46

Game Recap:

Defending state champions Benson County return to the Class B semifinals, fueled by a fast start versus the Rebels. The Wildcats scored 21 of their 65 points in the first quarter. Benson County senior Aubrey Kenner led the game with 33 points on an efficient 11-of-13 from the field, and 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. The Wildcats scored 20 points off of E-K-M turnovers.

Team Previews:

The defending state champions from Benson County won the Region 2 championship by 15 points. They enter the state tournament with a 21-2 overall record. The Wildcats will be making just the third state tournament appearance in program history after going in 2013 and then again in 2025. Last year’s championship was the first in program history.

Edgeley-Kulm-Montpelier will be making its third state tournament appearance in the last four years, and fourth overall in the co-op’s history. The Rebels got the better of Griggs-Midkota 53-52 in the qualifier round. E-K-M holds an overall record of 15-12. The program has never won a state title, but made the championship game in 2024.

#3 LaMoure-Litchville-Marion defeated #6 Washburn 43-37

Game Recap:

LaMoure-Litchville-Marion scored 24 of the team’s 43 points to overcome a double-digit deficit versus Washburn. The Loboes were held to 22 percent shooting from the field, but went 23-of-28 at the free-throw line. LLM junior Addy Smith led all scorers with 21 points.

Team Previews:

LaMoure-Litchville-Marion will be making the program’s fourth state tournament appearance, and second in a row. The Loboes won the region 1 championship in the lone overtime game from any region. They are currently 22-2 on the season.

Washburn will be making its 14th appearance in the state tournament and first since 2011. The Cardinals used a third-quarter surge to defeat Kenmare-Bowbells 42-36 in the qualifier round. They are the only team in the field that entered districts as a four seed or lower. Washburn has won two state championships: 1983 and 1991.

#1 Central McLean defeated #8 Linton-HMB 55-42

Game Recap:

Top-seeded Central McLean returns to the state semifinals thanks in large part to a 37-point outing from junior guard Morgan Snyder. As a team, the Cougars did most of their damage inside and with pace: 32 points in the paint paired with 16 on the fast break. Linton-HMB guard led the Lions with 15 points and went 3-of-4 from behind the arc.

Team Previews:

Central McLean is making its third consecutive state tournament appearance, but the Cougars’ are coming off their first region title in co-op history. The Cougars broke through after falling in the region title game four consecutive years. They currently have the best record in the state at 23-1, with the lone loss coming in the regular season against Flasher. None of the schools in Central McLean’s co-op have ever won a girls basketball state title.

Linton-HMB will be making back-to-back state appearances and its 12th overall. The Lions took third in the Region 1 tournament and defeated Langdon Area-Munich 36-33 in the qualifier round. Their overall record is 15-11. Linton/HMB has never won a state championship, but made the title game in 2012.

#4 Berthold defeated #5 Flasher 41-34

Game Recap:

Berthold punched its ticket to the semifinals in a low-scoring affair against Flasher with a 41-34 win. Addison Neshem led the way with a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds after she did not score at all in the first quarter. Neshem added 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks in the quarterfinal win.

Team Previews:

Berthold has now won back-to-back region championships to advance to the state tournament for the second consecutive season. They have a season record of 18-6 entering the state tournament. The Bombers fell in the semifinal round, 59-51, last year to the eventual state champions from Benson County. The Bombers have never won a state title.

Flasher is off to its first-ever state tournament thanks to a double-digit, fourth-quarter comeback against Tioga in a qualifier game. The Bulldogs went undefeated in the regular season, which included four wins against teams in the state tournament field. Their overall record is 24-2.

Region Champions Crowned

Four region champions were crowned in Class B on Thursday night with the winners earning a ticket to the state tournament in Minot. The losers of the championship game, and the winners of the third place region tournament games, both advance to the state qualifier games on Saturday at Century High School. Those games are a last-chance opportunity to make the state tournament.

State Qualifier Games

The state qualifier games are win-or-go-home. The games featuring East teams will be played at Mayville State, and the games between West teams will be at Century High School. All four games will be played on Saturday.