The third-seeded Wahpeton Lady Huskies held a 10-point lead with six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of the Region 1A third-place game Thursday.
The top-seeded Valley City Hi-Liners pulled it together with a 15-0 run, avoiding elimination and moving on to the state-qualifier round with a 57-52 win at North Dakota State University.
Sophomore forward Claire Woods led Wahpeton with team highs in points (17) and rebounds (8). Seventh grade guard Ashlynne Max scored 15 and eighth grade point guard Piper Nelson tallied 13.
The Huskies led 44-30 through three quarters, before the Hi-Liners exploded for 27 points in the final frame, while holding the Huskies to eight.
Max drained a clutch three to bring Wahpeton within a point with 16 seconds left, but Valley City nailed the ensuing free throws on a night where they shot 13 of 15 at the charity stripe.
Katie Burchill paced the Hi-Liners with a game-high 19 points and Skye Nielsen added 14, as the No. 4-ranked team in North Dakota narrowly avoided its second upset loss of the tournament.
Valley City (18-4) will face Region 2A runner-up Carrington (20-4) in the state-qualifier game Saturday at Mayville State University.
Despite the heartbreaking loss, Wahpeton (12-11) received multiple season honors. Head coach Brian Watson was named Region 1A Coach of the Year after leading his youthful roster to a No. 3 seed. Woods and Nelson were selected to the All-Region Team.