From a humble acorn a great oak grows. They don't get much more humble than the wellspring of Bismarck's girls basketball season.

Fargo North 56, Bismarck 51. Fargo South 63, Bismarck 29.

So how did the Demons go from a stinging 0-2 start to a 15-4 record and the state's No. 2 ranking as tournament season beckons?

Part by part, according to Kelsey Sigl, a 5-foot-11 senior who leads the team in scoring (16.7 ppg) and rebounding(7.4 rpg).

"Against FargoSouth we had two out of our five seniors playing," Sigl said.

Carlie Buechler, a 5-7 senior guard who suffered a concussion in the opening game against North, returned to the lineup for the third game of the year.

All-state player Sarah Feeney, a 6-2 senior, was dogged by foot problems and missed six games.

Kaitlyn Sturlaugson, a 5-7 senior guard, has played in just eight games after suffering a knee injury in the state volleyball tournament.

Now Sigl figures all the parts are in place for today's West Region tournament opener against Williston.

"Now we have our entire team together,"Sigl said. "We had a new coach and a whole new system, and it took awhile to adapt to things. …Idon't know exactly where it was, but things started falling into place. We've always had the physical ability … and our confidence started to build after awhile.

"Beating Mandan twice was a huge confidence thing," she added. "They're six-time state champions, and going out and beating them on their home court gave us confidence."

Sigl likes the team the Demons have become over the course of 19 games. They've won seven of their last eight outings.

"I'm very happy with where we are. We came out with first place in the West Region. … Ithink we're ready as a team," she said. "… Our intensity in practice hasn't changed."

Sigl, who moved into the starting lineup the middle of last season, knew her role would change this season. She just didn't expect it to happen so quickly. In the second game of the season against top-ranked South, Sigl and senior guard Liz Assel were surrounded by untested teammates.

"It was difficult not having all our seniors, but I didn't mind taking a leadership role at all," Sigl said.

Sigl's improved statistics reflect a much stronger presence on the floor.

"I feel I've become a lot more confident in myself and a lot more aggressive,"she added. "Ihave to give credit to my teammates, too. Everyone is pushing each other, and we have a team bond that helps a lot, too."

Sigl said finishing second in the state last season as Mandan claimed a sixth straight state title was hard to swallow. The teams split during regular season play, but Mandan prevailed in both the regional and state championship games.

"Ifelt we should have come out with the win,"she said. "… We had the athleticism on our team where we definitely could have (won)."

Sigl said she's not the only one who feels the Demons need to take care of unfinished business.

"It made us hungry to finish it after coming up second best,"she said. "… I don't want to settle for anything less than (first in the state), and I think everyone else on the team can agree with me."

Bismarck may be ranked second to South in the state, but this year's regional tournament is something of a mine field.

Mandan is in Bismarck's bracket along with Turtle Mountain. Those teams meet at 3:45 p.m. today. BHSand Turtle Mountain split two regular season games.

In the opposite bracket reside No. 3 Century and No. 4 Jamestown.

Demons coach Andrea Ronderos said assembling a team over the course of the season has been a challenge, but she likes the current product.

"It feels like we're peaking right now.I hope that's the case," Ronderos said.

The current starting lineup - Feeney,Sigl, Buechler, Assel and Chelsea Lingle -has been together since Christmas and Sturlaugson has proved to be a potent scoring punch off the bench.