A long run coming to an end

DEVILS LAKE, N.D. - The play is called Duke. To say the Devils Lake girls basketball players have practiced it extensively is an understatement.

Duke has been part of the playbook dating back to when these Firebirds began playing travel-team basketball nine years ago. It's still a regular part of the offense of the Devils Lake High School girls basketball team.

"We've been running Duke all our lives," senior Emilee Soper said. "It's passing, screening away and cutting. It's one of our better plays. There are a lot of open shots for everybody."

Nine years of basketball - which began when the current seniors and junior Ashley Privratsky were on a travel team - are coming to an end. Devils Lake will make its second consecutive appearance in the North Dakota Class A girls state basketball tournament, which runs today through Saturday in Fargo.

"It's sad that it's coming to an end," Soper said. "We all get along really well. We hang out together in school. We never get sick of each other.

"I think we all have a passion for basketball. It seems like we've been playing it our whole lives together."

Athleticism abounds

Basketball isn't the only sport for the Firebirds.

The entire starting five played volleyball. Emily Black was in both cross country and volleyball in the fall. Some also participate in track.

But the Firebirds finished only eighth in the Eastern Dakota Conference in volleyball last fall. Nor have they excelled as a team in track. It's basketball where they've made their mark.

"I don't know how to explain that," Devils Lake basketball coach Heidi Stuberg said. "I do know they've grown up playing basketball. They have more experience in it than in other sports.

"Most of the girls are so athletic. That definitely carries over from one sport to another. I like having them in other sports. It makes them more well-rounded."

That athleticism has shown in the up-tempo style the Firebirds play. They press. They run. They score a lot of points, averaging 75.2 points while winning 18 of their 22 games.

The success hasn't been unexpected. Privratsky, Black, Callie Hanson and Ashley Burtness all are returning starters from last year's 14-10 team that went to state - the first state appearance for the program since 1987. The Firebirds were ranked first in a preseason coaches' poll in the conference.

"We were expected to do really well, and we're happy with how we've done," said Black, who was an all-region pick along with Privratsky and Hanson. "There was some pressure at first. That was kind of nerve-wracking.

"But we came back to reality after we lost our first game. You lose and you realize that you have to keep working hard."

Privratsky leads the way

Privratsky is, at 5 feet 8 inches in height, the second-shortest Firebirds starter. She's also the lone non-senior regular. But there's no question that she's the team's leader on the floor.

Privratsky, a first team all-state pick as a sophomore, is a scorer, a passer and a defensive pest. She led the Eastern Dakota Conference in scoring (23.3 ppg), assists (6.8 apg) and steals (6.2 spg).

"Ashley is our floor leader," Stuberg said. "She gets everybody involved in the offense, and she looks for her shot, too. She's just a complete player.

"But she's not a one-person show. We have four girls average in double figures (in scoring). That balance makes it a lot harder for teams to stop us."

Hanson, the team's top post player, averages 13.1 points, followed by Soper (11.1), Black (10.6) and Burtness (7.1).

The team has come a long way since it began playing travel-team tournaments in elementary school.

Likewise, the program has come a long way under Stuberg. In her first season with the Firebirds, five seasons ago, the team went 1-19. Last season was her first with a winning record.

"It was frustrating to lose all those games that first year," Stuberg said. "But I knew that it would take time, that there was rebuilding to do. And I also knew that there were some good players coming up."

The frustrations have given way to a lot of wins and high expectations the past two seasons. "They've handled those expectations well," Stuberg said.

DeVillers can be reached at (800) 477-6572, ext. 128, (701) 780-1128 or by e-mail at gdevillers@gfherald.com .