Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Aleaha Pommer of Fort Dodge scored 14 points in the Dodgers' regional finale at Des Moines North.

DES MOINES — The Fort Dodge girls were never out of shouting distance against Des Moines North in a Class 5A regional semifinal on Saturday night.

The Dodgers just weren’t able to quiet the Polar Bears enough to pull through.

North (16-6 overall) held on and then sealed a 57-47 victory over Fort Dodge (9-13) with a solid closing fourth-quarter effort on its home court. The Polar Bears now advance to take on top-ranked Johnston for one of eight state tournament berths.

Head coach Scott Messerly’s squad hung tough all evening long, but the Dodgers struggled enough from the floor — thanks in large part to North’s size — to come up short in a contest that mirrored the Polar Bears’ 12-point regular-season victory over FDSH.

“We played pretty well; we were pretty much within five points or so most of the way,” Messerly said. “We just couldn’t get a bucket or a stop when we had to get one (in order) to get over the hump.

“We were close, but they did what they needed to get the job done.”

The Dodgers made just 17 of 58 shots from the floor, including only eight baskets from two-point range in 30 tries. Senior Aleaha Pommer led Fort Dodge with 14 points, while Tory Bennett added 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

Junior Elizabeth Puot had 15 points and six rebounds for the Polar Bears, with freshman standout Amani Jenkins — the daughter of FDSH graduate Erin (Younie) Jenkins — adding 13 points and 10 boards. Senior Laphina Campbell also added 13.

“We got up 11-3 right away, but they answered with a run,” Messerly said. “We missed some point-blank looks, and it seemed like we were playing just enough catch up the rest of the way.”

North was up 27-21 at halftime and 40-35 heading into the final period. The Dodgers held a 33-28 rebounding advantage, but the Polar Bears blocked eight shots compared to just one by FDSH.

This marked the final game for Pommer, Bennett, Jalen Adams and Haley Wills. The quartet of seniors, who were all four-year regulars in the lineup from the day Messerly took over the program, helped the Dodgers win 25 games in the last three seasons.

Bennett had the first 300-point, 100-rebound, 100-assist campaign in school history, and ended up fifth on the program’s career 5-on-5 scoring charts with 865 points. Pommer (722) was 10th.

“I can’t say enough good things about our seniors,” Messerly said. “They’re just terrific athletes and even better people. I want to thank them for being such good kids and first-class leaders. I was very lucky to have them the last four years.”

DM NORTH 57, FORT DODGE 47

Des Moines North — Elizabeth Puot 5-12 1-2 15, Amani Jenkins 5-14 3-6 13, Laphina Campbell 6-13 1-2 13, Nya Mach 2-8 2-3 8, Nyla Seay 0-2 0-0 0, Nayakan Malual 3-4 2-2 8. Totals: 21-53 9-15 57.

Fort Dodge — Aleaha Pommer 4-7 3-4 14, Tory Bennett 4-16 0-0 11, Jalen Adams 3-12 0-0 7, Lainey Maehl 2-6 0-0 4, Haley Wills 1-4 0-0 3, Paytene Hiveley 2-9 1-1 5, Mackenzie McIlrath 1-4 0-0 3. Totals: 17-58 4-5 47.

Quarter scores: North led 14-13, 27-21, 40-35. Three-point goals: North 6-21 (Puot 4-9, Mach 2-6, Jenkins 0-2, Seay 0-1, Campbell 0-1, Malual 0-2); Fort Dodge 9-28 (Bennett 3-9, Pommer 3-5, Adams 1-6, McIlrath 1-4, Wills 1-2, Maehl 0-1). Turnovers: North 10, Fort Dodge 12. Rebounds: North 28, Fort Dodge 33. Assists: North 12, Fort Dodge 15. Blocks: North 8, Fort Dodge 1. Total fouls: North 7, Fort Dodge 12.