Devils Lake girls basketball team surging ahead of state tournament

The Firebirds overcame a slow start to the season and are now the No. 6 seed in the Division A state tournament

Published on Mar. 4, 2026

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The Devils Lake girls basketball team, led by junior guard Tylie Brodina, is hitting its stride at the right time of the year. After a slow 2-10 start to the season, the Firebirds have won 13 of their last 15 games and are the No. 6 seed in this weekend's Division A state tournament in Jamestown. Devils Lake opens the tournament against Valley City on Thursday.

Why it matters

The Devils Lake girls basketball program has been a consistent winner for decades, but this year's team faced early challenges with a young roster and injuries. Their late-season surge shows they have found their rhythm and could be a dangerous underdog in the state tournament.

The details

The Firebirds lost their first two games of the season and 10 overall, but have won 13 of their last 15 to enter the state tournament with a 15-10 record. They had to adjust to a tighter rotation, especially after sophomore guard Dottie Goss went down with an injury early on. Junior guard Tylie Brodina, who passed 1,000 career points in December, leads the team with 18.8 points per game. Seniors Presley Brown, Mia Elsperger, and Jenae Martinson, along with junior Ava Beck, also provide scoring punch.

  • Devils Lake opened the season with a 69-65 loss to Valley City on an unspecified date.
  • The Firebirds then fell 72-41 to Turtle Mountain before losing to Minot North to sit at 2-3 before Christmas.
  • Tylie Brodina passed 1,000 career points back in December.

The players

Tylie Brodina

A 5-foot-8 junior guard who leads Devils Lake with 18.8 points per game and has received college basketball scholarship offers from Minot State and the University of Mary.

Presley Brown

A senior who averages 12.8 points per game for the Firebirds.

Mia Elsperger

A 5-foot-10 senior forward who has played a key defensive role for Devils Lake, matching up with standout guards from other teams.

Jenae Martinson

A senior who averages 5.0 points per game for the Firebirds.

Ava Beck

A junior who averages 6.8 points per game for Devils Lake.

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What they’re saying

“It was a little frustrating because we're not really used to that. Once we figured it out and how we're going to be subbing ... once we figured out what our bodies can do, we've been pretty good.”

— Tylie Brodina, Junior guard (yahoo.com)

“It was slow going for a while. Some of the teams we played were sharp, and we weren't. We've been playing better down the stretch. The way we play, the style we have with up-tempo and full-court pressure ... we were used to subbing kids in and keeping a pace. Our starters were having to play more minutes this year. We were asking young kids, freshmen, to do more and that took time.”

— Justin Klein, Devils Lake coach (yahoo.com)

“I don't think we necessarily slow down but maybe we don't press as much. We play best when we move the ball, find open teammates and push the ball in transition. When we're scoring transition layups, we're a good team.”

— Tylie Brodina, Junior guard (yahoo.com)

What’s next

Devils Lake will play Valley City in the quarterfinals of the Division A state tournament on Thursday at 2:45 p.m.

The takeaway

Despite a slow start, the Devils Lake girls basketball team has found its stride at the right time and could be a dangerous underdog in the Division A state tournament. Their ability to adjust to a tighter rotation and young roster has them peaking as they look to make another deep postseason run.