After months of waiting, the Thompson Tommies earned their revenge against the Valley City Hi-Liners, avenging last year’s state championship loss with a 66-56 victory.

The game opened well for Valley City, which rode a strong first quarter from Katie Burchill to build a 14-6 lead. Thompson closed the gap late in the period with a 3-pointer, trimming the deficit to five and offering an early glimpse of what was to come from last year’s state runners-up.

After being held scoreless in the opening frame, Thompson star senior Addison Sage erupted for 10 points in the second quarter to pull the Tommies back into the game. She was complemented by Kya Hurst, who added five points of her own. Valley City’s Maddy Frieze knocked down a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Hi-Liners a slim 32-31 halftime lead, but the momentum had shifted firmly in Thompson’s favor.

That momentum carried into the third quarter, as Sage exploded for 13 more points, connecting on three 3-pointers while Valley City struggled to contain Thompson’s leading scorer. Despite having three players reach double figures by the end of the quarter, the Hi-Liners trailed 51-46 heading into the fourth.

Valley City battled in the final period, but was unable to wrestle away the lead. Thompson continued to receive a steady barrage of 3-pointers from Sage and Hurst, who finished with 29 and 14 points, respectively. Skye Nielson led Valley City with 18 points, but the Hi-Liners could not overcome the Tommies’ two-pronged attack as Thompson closed the game on a late run to secure the 66-56 win.

With the loss, Valley City dropped to 8-2 on the season. The Hi-Liners will next face the Rugby Panthers on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in Devils Lake.