DEVILS LAKE — The Firebirds grabbed a late lead but couldn’t quite take down No. 2 in a thriller Tuesday.

Devils Lake girls’ basketball dove right into the fire, playing defending state champion Valley City to open the season. It was a matchup between each of the last two years’ Class A state champions.

The Firebirds, ranked No. 4 in the preseason NDAPSSA Class A poll, fell 69-65 to No. 2 Valley City at the Devils Lake Sports Center. It’s worth noting that No. 1 South Prairie-Max lost to unranked Carrington on Monday, making Valley City a logical pick to become the new No. 1 next week.

But the Firebirds hung around with the top dog. Their halftime lead got away from them in the third quarter, which ultimately doomed Devils Lake despite hitting a few big shots in the fourth quarter.

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