When Scranton got the ball to senior center Shelby Burns in the post, there was little Bowman County could do to stop her in a District 13 girls basketball tournament quarterfinal game.
Burns scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds as the fourth-seeded Miners pulled away for a 38-24 victory over the fifth-seeded Bulldogs on Friday afternoon at Knights of Columbus Activities Center.
Burns, who was 8 of 9 from the field, scored six points during a crucial 12-2 run over the first 4:25 of the third quarter that helped Scranton pull away for the victory.
"We executed really well and were able to get what we wanted to," Burns said.
Scranton (8-12) built an 11-2 first-quarter lead, which it expanded on after junior guard Courtney Anderson's 30-foot 3-point heave bricked off the backboard and back in.
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Bowman County (3-17) responded in the second quarter, however, crashing the boards on missed shots and outscoring the Miners 12-5. The Bulldogs finished with 12 offensive rebounds.
But Scranton wouldn't be denied in the third quarter.
Getting the ball to Burns in the post and negating the Bulldogs' diamond-and-one chase defense was important, Scranton head coach Kelly Pierce said.
"We knew if we isolated her (Burns), we'd be able to get what we wanted," Pierce said.
Scranton was able to generate points easier than Bowman County, too.
With Burns helping establish an inside presence, the Miners were able to shoot 15 of 33 (46 percent) from the field.
Bowman County shot just 7 of 41 (17 percent) for the game.
Morgan Woodley had six points and five rebounds to lead the Bulldogs, who scattered their scoring between seven players.
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"Simply, we have to put the ball in the basket," Bowman County head coach Kent Harding said. "That's the name of the game. Defensively, we missed a lot of assignments."
Despite the loss, Bowman County only has to win one game to reach the Region 7 tournament. The Bulldogs face the loser of Saturday night's late semifinal game between Heart River and Mott-Regent.
Scranton, meanwhile, moves on to face top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Beach (19-0) at 6 p.m. today in the semifinals.
"We've watched Beach a little bit," Pierce said. "If you keep it close, you never know what can happen."
BC 2 14 17 24
Scranton 11 16 32 38
BC: Morgan Woodley 6, Macy Smyle 5, Miranda Miller 4, Haley Sabe 3, Matessa Jorgenson 2, Kayla Palczewski 2, Kit Miller 2.
S: Shelby Burns 18, Courtney Andrson 10, Kaitlyn Olson 7, Taylor Kelner 3.
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3-pointers: BC 1 (Smyle), S 2 (Olson, Anderson). Free throws: BC 9-14, S 6-8. Total fouls: BC 11, S 16. Fouled out: S, Anderson. Rebounds: BC 24 (Woodley 5), S 24 (Burns 6). Assists: BC 3 (three with 1), S 9 (Anderson 3). Steals: BC 3 (three with 1), S 7 (Kelner 4). Blocks: None. Turnovers: BC 12, S 15.
Heart River 56, New England 30
Karli Northrop came off the bench and had 16 points and six rebounds as second-seeded Heart River cruised to a victory over seventh-seeded New England.
Quinn Steffan shot 6 of 10 from the field and had 14 points and five rebounds for the Cougars (12-7), who face Mott-Regent in at 7:30 p.m. today in the semifinals.
Eighth-grader Taylor Hewson came off the bench and scored a team-high nine points for the Tigers (2-18). Erin Volk and Autumn Wolf each added eight points.
NE 11 18 25 30
HR 20 27 39 56
NE: Taylor Hewson 9, Autumn Wolf 8, Erin Volk 8, Hannah Nordby 2, Bryanna Rasch 2, Gabbi Hanson 1.
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HR: Karli Northrop 16, Quinn Steffan 14, Miranda Kadrmas 11, Alicia Palaniuk 5, Nettie Splichal 5, Mary Hlebechuk 3, Hannah Rodne 2.
3-pointers: NE 2 (Wolf 2), HR 5 (Steffan 2, Hlebechuk, Palaniuk, Northrop). Free throws: NE 2-7, HR 11-20. Total fouls: NE 19, HR 10. Rebounds: NE 2 (Nordby 9), HR 37 (Rodne 7). Assists: NE 5 (Fitterer 2), HR 15 (Rodne 4, Palaniuk 4). Steals: NE 12 (Nordby 3), HR 9 (three with 2). Blocks: None. Turnovers: NE 16, HR 18.
