“It feels great, and feels good to get in a good flow,” Schmidt said. “Our mindset [coming in] was just to be confident in each other and play as a team. That was really it. We need to know that to trust each other, we all need to play together.”

The two teams fed off one another for a majority of the game and matched one another’s tough physicality, with a handful of ties in the second half. It wasn’t until the last few minutes of the game when the Lakers were able to pull away through the help of Schmidt’s interior presence on both ends of the floor.

“We knew coming in this was going to be a very physical game, we both like to play physical, and it proved to be exactly that,” Lakeview head coach Mike Imes said. “We knew we had to play better defense … Dawson as a six seed, was a very tough job. They have improved so much this season, and they have a lot to be proud of. And boy, they fought us hard. They were not going to back down. Every time we tried to sneak away, they would hit two 3s to keep it a game.”

Schmidt led Lakeview with 22 points on 47% shooting, nine rebounds and five blocks. Stensrud followed with 19 points on 7 of 14 shooting, along with three assists and a trio of steals.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Lakeview head coach Mike Imes (center) talks over a play during a timeout against Dawson-Boyd in the Section 3A North subsection quarterfinals at Montevideo Saturday night.

“That was great senior leadership. Brynn always finds a way, when you need a shot so bad, she hits some of the toughest baseline jumpers … She’s going to find a way to get to the hoop,” Imes said. “The message at halftime was to get Anah the ball … We were like we got to feed her the ball, but we can’t force it. I thought we did a much better job in the second half of not turning the ball over. Great team win … Everybody that saw the court, helped us.”

Lakeview had a 4-point lead at the half, but the Blackjacks’ quickly showed they weren’t going away after hitting two straight 3-pointers from Swedzinkski and Laura Schreier to open the second half.

The game was tied 36-36 with 11:20 left to play following a Schmidt fastbreak layup and an offensive putback from Dawson-Boyd’s Schreier in return.

“I felt the first half, definitely, it was back and forth. I knew that was going to be the key to the game, was sticking with them and not letting them get on a run,” Dawson-Boyd head coach Rachel Hakanson said. “We knew it was going to be physical, which it was today.”

Schmidt and Alivia Estling battled it off inside the paint on several occasions throughout the night, standing as their team’s tallest players at 6-foot-1 and 5-foot-11, respectively.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Dawson-Boyd senior Alyssa Swedzinski lines up for a 3-pointer in the first half against Lakeview in the Section 3A North subsection quarterfinals at Montevideo Saturday night.

The Lakers switched up its strategy and aggressively began to look at Schmidt inside on offense to be able to either get the offensive rebound or to lay in the shot. She also continued to be a force on defense with her blocking effort.

“I just have to, personally, remember that I can shoot, I can score and I can look in,” Schmidt said. “And, [to remember] that is something doesn’t go my way, to just shake it off. Think about the next play.”

The Lakers clicked from there behind a full-team effort, particularly on defense and was able to grab a few critical steals, and eventually built a 52-43 edge following a Stensrud layup and an and-1 with the free throw from Reagan Bossuyt with just over five minutes to play.

Brynn Lundin got in on the scoring action with a midrange jumper on the next possession, and Lakeview was able to hang on the rest of the way as Dawson-Boyd began to intentionally foul and put the Lakers on the line.

“We knew that we were the underdogs coming into it,” Swedzinski said. “So, just being the six-seed against the three-seed and just coming up and playing up to their intensity was big for us.”

Photo by Samantha Davis: Lakeview's Kiannalee Olson (14) and Addy Jorgenson (2) cheer after a shot in the second half against Dawson-Boyd in the Section 3A North subsection quarterfinals at Montevideo Saturday night.

Lakeview performed well at the foul line, finishing the night 13 of 20.

Stensrud and Reagan Bossuyt shared a team-high three steals, while Bossuyt also finished with nine rebounds. Addy Jorgenson led the Lakers with four assists.

For Dawson-Boyd, Kylar Hjelmeland led the charge with 13 points on 4 of 6 shooting and shot 3 of 4 from the perimeter, and five assists. Schreier and Swedzinkski each followed with 11 points, along with Swedzinski’s team-high seven rebounds. Claire Stratmoen also had 6 points with six boards.

The Lakers got off to a 9-0 start to open the night, before Stratmoen got the Blackjacks on the board with a layup, just as Schreier did on the following possession to get their offense going.

Swedzinski and Stensrud traded 3-pointers moments later, and Dawson-Boyd was able to keep the score to one or two possessions the rest of the first half.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Dawson-Boyd's Claire Stratmoen passes the ball in the first half against Lakeview in the Section 3A North subsection quarterfinals at Montevideo Saturday night.

Ava Bothun hit a shot from the elbow followed up with a Stratmoen 3 to cut into a 23-22 deficit in the final 40 seconds of the half, before the Lakers earned back some points for a 26-22 halftime lead.

“At halftime, it was 4 points down, a two-possession game. We just knew that we had to stick with them and that every possession mattered. [We had to] compete for every possession and do those little things right. Box out, jump to the ball, communication,” Hakanson said.

The Blackjacks, however, never let up on their fight and challenged the Lakers the entire 36 minutes.

Dawson-Boyd made significant strides this season, picking up five more wins from a year prior. The Blackjacks went 7-18 in their 2024-25 campaign.

The Blackjacks particularly caught fire midway through the regular season, where they went on a strong stretch of seven wins in nine games, and also entered sections winning three of their last four.

Photo by Samantha Davis: Dawson-Boyd head coach Rachel Hakanson hugs Alyssa Swedzinski, the Blackjack's only senior this season, after she subs out for the final time in her prep basketball career against Lakeview in the Section 3A North subsection quarterfinals at Montevideo Saturday night.

Dawson-Boyd will also return nearly its entire roster, and will look to continue building its momentum come next season.

Swedzinski leaves the program as Dawson-Boyd’s only senior, and noted the pride she carried throughout the season, and her entire prep career, with the growth the close-knit team was able to make.

“It’s been fun. I like hanging out with the younger kids, they’re a lot of fun. Sad to be done, but it was a great ride,” Swedzinkski said. “I think my first year in eighth grade, I think we won one game. So, coming now and being almost a .500 team and building it up each year, it’s been amazing seeing this program go from the bottom to something that’s fun to watch.”

“That’s a tough one [to lose]. I said in the locker room, not only are we finishing the season, but we’re finishing our time on the court with her [Swedzinski],” Hakanson added, emotionally. “She’s been a huge leader for the team. Showing up every day, working hard, staying late, putting shots up, going to the weight room every single day. She’s just meant a lot to the team, and holds a special place in all of our hearts. We’re going to miss her, definitely.”

Lakeview (21-7) will now have a rematch with MACCRAY (19-7) on the subsection semifinals today, back at Montevideo High School at 7:30 p.m. The last time the two met on Jan. 15, the Lakers came away with a 60-52 victory.

“That’ll be another real tough battle. We’re going to have to really focus on the defense. You’re not going to stop Brielle [Janssen, MACCRAY’s leading scorer], but we have to do our best to try to slow her down and make sure the others don’t beat us in the process,” Imes said. “We’re excited for the battle. We know it’s going to be a very tough one for us. We’re happy to be in that game.”