MINOT -- Minot Ryan coach Julie Stewart entered the locker room at halftime Thursday night, and her first words were aimed at junior Sheyenne Schmidt and her shooting woes.
"I said, 'Sheyenne, quit thinkin' about it!" Stewart recalled. "She shoots over 40 percent. If we get that shot, we want it."
The Minot Ryan junior guard hit a pair of second-half treys that helped keep Shiloh Christian at bay in a 49-30 win at the Minot State Dome.
"Coach reassures me that I've got to keep shooting," said Schmidt, who finished with nine points. "The first half I wasn't using my legs enough."
The Class B state tournament win sends the Lions to today's 8:15 p.m. semifinal against Dickinson Trinity or Thompson. Top-seeded Ryan is looking for its third straight state title.
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"We had to be on our toes," Stewart said. "We knew Shiloh would come out and be aggressive."
Schmidt may not have led Ryan in scoring, but her 3-pointers in the second half were a big part of holding off Shiloh, which puts its focus on stopping 6-foot-2 all-state posts Hannah Stewart and Gabbie Bohl. Maddie Wald led the Lions with 13 points, while Bohl and Stewart had 11 and 10, respectively.
"Our bigs are huge for us, because sometimes three defenders will swarm them," Schmidt said. "That leaves our outside shooters open, and we've got to be able to hit them."
Shiloh was paced by Krista Ulmer's 10 points.
Ryan embarked on a game-changing 10-2 run that was bookended by Schmidt's 3-pointers. It started late in the third quarter and by the time the 6:21 mark of the fourth quarter had come, Ryan held a 40-26 lead.
"Everyone is looking to come out and give you the best run for your money," Schmidt said. "That's what Shiloh did. In the second half, we came out and closed the deal."
MINOT RYAN 49
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SHILOH CHRISTIAN 30
Shiloh Christian 12 5 7 6--30
Minot Ryan 12 12 9 16--49
Shiloh Christian -- Regan Watson 6, Krista Ulmer 10, Victoria Schindler 3, Mia Wilkinson 8, Miriah Forness 2, Brittan Grubb 1
Minot Ryan -- Maddie Wald 13, Hannah Stewart 10, Kelly Kasper 4, Sheyenne Schmidt 9, Gabbie Bohl 11, Bridget MacLeod 2
3-point baskets: Shiloh Christian 3 (Watson 2, Ulmer 1), Minot Ryan 3 (Schmidt 2, Wald 1); Rebounds: Shiloh Christian 36 (Ulmer 10), MInot Ryan 38 (Stewart 10, Bohl 10); Assists: Shiloh Christian 4 (Forness 2, Jay Two Bears 2), Minot Ryan 11 (Wald 5); Total fouls (fouled out): Shiloh Christian 13 (Watson), MInot Ryan 14.
