Miguel Dunn prepares to kickstart the offense for Devils Lake JV. (Photo by Cameron Carlson)
DEVILS LAKE — Egan Laite and Miguel Dunn lit up the scoreboard as Devils Lake JV won the third-place game in the Ramsey County tournament on Saturday.
A year after winning the whole thing, the Firebirds took the third-place honor. They beat Larimore (3-5) 73-63, overcoming a swath of second-half Larimore points with big performances from Laite and Dunn.
“They made it more competitive right at the end, which is good for our guys,” Devils Lake JV head coach Patrick Thomas said. “We’re not much of a zone team; we don’t play much zone. So that’s always going to be a little bit of a struggle for us in this tournament. But yeah, I thought the boys played hard.”
Devils Lake scored at least 14 points in each quarter, and at least in 19 in three of the four. The Firebirds led 34-23 at the half. They allowed 40 points in the second half, but nearly matched Larimore with 39 of their own.
Laite, a sophomore getting some varsity time, scored 21 points. He had a strong tournament, totaling 72 over three days. That was the second-most of anybody in the tournament. It earned him an all-tournament selection.
He did just about everything: three-pointers, layups, short and long-range shots, along with rebounding and stealing. It was a complete performance all the way.
“He’s been awesome offensively, shooting the ball really well, which is good. Kind of something we’re missing right now in varsity as well,” Thomas said. “So that’s good confidence to take into the varsity games.”
Stepping up to give Devils Lake a boost was Dunn. He knocked down seven triples — two in the second quarter, three in the third and two in the fourth. He added 2-of-2 free throw shooting to his line to finish with a game-high 23 points.
Dunn had been quiet in the tournament. His explosion helped Devils Lake hold on for the win.
“I thought Miguel Dunn was awesome today. Shot the ball really well, and was aggressive. And that’s what we’ve been looking for, as well,” Thomas said. “That’s the offensive capabilities he has. He’s a really good scorer, a really good shooter. We told him at halftime — that’s what our message was to him — is ‘You’ve got to be aggressive and look for your shot a bit more.’ And obviously, with seven threes, he did that.”
Trayson Touche also hit two triples off the bench for Devils Lake. Big man Casey Brown chipped in with one as well.
The Firebirds have put together a solid group of scorers.
“We need guys coming off and doing their role,” Thomas said. “So everyone’s role is going to be different. It might not be much scoring, or it might be getting us set up in our offense, or doing a defensive job. So I thought all the guys that came off the bench this weekend did a really good job in their role at that time.”
Devils Lake JV’s next game will precede the varsity game on the road against Turtle Mountain on Tuesday.
Baron Burns led Larimore with 16 points and was named to the all-tournament team. Burns totaled 39 points in three games.
Fifth-place game
The lone Class A varsity team in the bracket, Carrington (3-5), beat Griggs/Midkota (1-5) by a score of 53-45 to take fifth place in the tournament.
While Carrington’s Taylen Mehring got cold after a 30-point performance the day prior, Maddox McIlonie made two triples as part of a 20-point day. Tate Wolsky added 10 points, all in the second half.
Mehring, despite only three points on Saturday, accumulated 44 over the the three-day tournament. He was named to the all-tournament team. McIlonie and Alec Threadgold finished in the 30s for the tournament
Trace Spickler led G/M with 19 points. The junior totaled 59 points in the tournament and was another all-tournament pick.
The Titans briefly took a 31-29 lead in the third quarter. But they didn’t make a field goal in the fourth quarter until the final minute of the period.
Threadgold had nine points before fouling out. Seven of his points came in the first half.
Carrington hosts the No. 5-ranked team in Class B, New Rockford-Sheyenne, on Tuesday.
