GIRLS BASKETBALL: Tommies move on

Pass or shot-Emily Overby will look for both.

On Tuesday, Thompson needed the points from Overby. The senior came through big, scoring 26 points as the Tommies beat Drayton/Valley-Edinburg 54-39 in the semifinals of the North Dakota Region 2 girls high school basketball tournament at Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

"Our outside shots weren't falling," said Overby, who leads the Tommies in both scoring (18.2 ppg) and assists. "So I guess I tried to get to the basket more, driving to get a shot or maybe draw a foul and get to the free-throw line."

The 5-foot-9 senior was dominant in the scoring for the undefeated (23-0), top-ranked Tommies. Kailen Dolleslager added nine points; no other Tommie had more than six points.

"Emily kind of put our offense on her back and went with it,'' Thompson coach Jason Brend said. "We were moving the ball well. But we weren't hitting a lot of shots. Luckily, Emily was there to hit big baskets.

"She's capable of that big-scoring game. But she's not a 25-point player because she's such a good playmaker.''

Overby had 14 points in a first half that ended with the Tommies ahead 25-20. She scored seven-on a 3-pointer, a layup and two free throws-in a second half-opening 13-4 Thompson run that opened up a 38-24 lead. "That was the big stretch for us,'' Brend said. "We were running our offense, working for good shots, and our defense did a nice job.''

The Titans battled back, whittling the lead to 43-36 when Taylor Stegman hit a 3-pointer with 2:50 left in the game. But that was as close as D/V-E could get as the Tommies hit 11 free throws in the final 2:25 to pull away.

"We were aggressive,'' said Brend, whose team outscored D/V-E 24-1 at the free-throw line. "We weren't hitting shots (14 field goals). But we were hitting free throws.''

Taylor Reilly had 12 points and Jalyn Larson 11 to lead the offense for the 16-8 Titans.

"Their inside defense was more physical than we usually see. I think that really bothered us,'' said Titans coach Wayne Stegman.

Plus, the Titans had no defensive answer of their own for Overby.

"Every time we gave her an open look, she was hitting a three,'' Stegman said. "Then we'd get out on her and she'd drive. We tried chasing her with a guard, but she'd post up.''

1/3: Drayton’s Laiken Larson pushes past Thompson’s Kailen Dolleslager (44) as she drives towards the basket in the first half of Tuesday's semifinal game of the Region 2 tournament at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Jesse Trelstad/ Grand Forks Herald

2/3: Thompson’s Emily Overby (33) shoots over Drayton’s Taylor Reilly (13) in the first half of Tuesday's semifinal game of the Region 2 tournament at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Jesse Trelstad/ Grand Forks Herald

3/3: Drayton’s Emily Swanson (11) looks past Thompson’s Emily Overby (33) for an opening in the first half of Tuesday's semifinal game of the Region 2 tournament at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Jesse Trelstad/ Grand Forks Herald