Jonte Delorme guards Max Palmer in the Firebirds’ and Indians’ latest duel. (Photo by Mojo Hill)
DEVILS LAKE — Amidst all of the noise, the packed bleachers and the talks surrounding this game, Jonte Delorme wasn’t fazed.
“A big atmosphere,” Delorme said. “We knew that coming into the game.”
In front of a rowdy section of Devils Lake fans, Delorme opened each of the first two quarters with a three. In between, he got to the rim two times.
Delorme’s 10 points led Four Winds/Minnewaukan in the first half. He finished with 14. Sonny Alberts had a big first half alongside him. Marial Deng took over in the second half.
“We know who our go-to guys are,” Delorme said. “The whole team stepped up tonight, though. And they were face-guarding us and denying us sometimes. Marial got going, and I got going at the beginning. And Tyler Black, Sonny; they were all just hitting their shots. And there was good teamwork.”
The No. 1-ranked Indians (14-1, 10-0) put together another well-rounded performance, winning their 13th straight with a 60-46 victory over Devils Lake (10-7, 4-4) on Tuesday. It was FW/M’s second straight win in the three-year rivalry, which Devils Lake still leads 4-3.
“I thought we had the better energy tonight,” FW/M head coach Rick Smith said. “We kind of wore them down. But it was a hard-fought game. Great postseason atmosphere.”
Swarms of Firebirds and Indians fans filled the Sports Center. It wasn’t just a rivalry game — it was the much-awaited return of twins Mason and Max Palmer. Devils Lake’s senior guards hadn’t played since Dec. 22 while serving an NDHSAA activities suspension. They had each been averaging more than 20 points a game during a 6-0 start to the season.
With the Palmers out, Devils Lake went 4-6. Before then, the Firebirds had been 55-4 since joining Division A.
The Indians prepared for them all week.
“You can’t fall asleep. You’ve got to stay close. You’ve got to make them work,” Smith said. “If they’re going to make it, it’s got to be contested. Push them off the three-point line and have help at the same time.”
Taking the floor in front of the biggest crowd all season, the Palmers went about their business as usual. Their pregame rituals were the same. Their spots in the lineup were the same. Their roles on the court were the same.
But it’s not always as easy as plugging your stars back in and having everything click instantly. The Indians were ready for them.
“Ball pressure at all times,” Delorme said. “Picking up full-court, not letting them get the ball. Denying the ball. Because [the Palmers] are great players. You can’t leave them open.”
The Firebirds were forced to go to their other players early on.
“They were leaving some other guys open, and really helping off on some guys, and trying to double Max, Mason,” Devils Lake head coach Dustin Brodina said. “And we have fully trust in the guys that were shooting. And shots just weren’t falling.”
Kade Fee and Ben Brodina took most of the early shots. Devils Lake continuously settled for threes and didn’t land them, whether they took unlucky rolls or were just straight-up clankers.
“We made the big guys shoot threes,” Smith said. “Fee wasn’t hitting his; he usually knocks those down. So that was kind of nice. And we controlled the rebounds. I thought we did a great job on the defensive boards, limiting them to one shot at times.”
The Firebirds didn’t make any triples until there was about 3:20 left in the game. They were trailing by 25.
“That’s almost unheard of against a team like that,” Smith said.
In the final few minutes, Brodina hit two triples and Bryar Exner hit one. But it was far too little, too late for Devils Lake, despite finishing the game on an 11-0 run.
“I thought towards the end of the game, we got a little tired. They pulled up the pressure on us,” Smith said. “I think both teams were extremely tired, and their shots were falling short, and we were turning the ball over a little bit.”
To start it all off, the Indians jumped out to a 9-0 lead.
They led 19-6 later in the first quarter, fueled by seven points each from Delorme and Sonny Alberts.
“I think our confidence grew after we got that good start going,” Smith said. “It was good to try and get their crowd out of it a little bit. Their crowd really never got into it the whole night, which was key.”
The Palmers combined for just three field goals in the first half. Fee had a team-high seven points at halftime.
“I thought offensively, we didn’t move the ball as much as I would like,” Brodina said.
Delorme and Alberts combined for 19 points in the first half. Alberts hit two threes on the night to finish with 12. The Indians’ lead at halftime was 32-18 — and they never really let up.
The third quarter became all about Deng. After a moderate six-point first half, Deng exploded for an 11-point quarter. He scored 13 in the second half to finish with a game-high 19.
He had his slick fadeaway jumper down to a tee.
“When you’re 6-5, that shot’s almost unstoppable when he has that down,” Smith said. “We tried to get him to get downhill a little bit more, but Benny [Brodina] plays good defense.”
Max Palmer scored six after halftime, inching into double-digit territory with 11. Mason only had one field goal in the second half, with seven total points.
They weren’t quite their December selves.
“It’s hard to simulate game speed,” Brodina said. “So, I mean, there’s going to be some adjustment period, and then working together with the guys that have been playing. … I knew that was probably going to happen a little bit today. You can only do so much in practice. And yeah, it’ll take some time.”
Brodina’s pair of fourth-quarter triples gave him the team lead with 13 points.
The Firebirds couldn’t keep up with an FW/M team that’s completely rolling right now. The Indians haven’t lost a game since before Christmas.
“It’s good vibes,” Delorme said. “Just focus on the next, game after game after game. We know the end goal is to go win a state title.”
For Devils Lake, the timing coincidentally forced the Palmers to be thrown back into the fire a little bit.
They’ll have four more regular-season games, including two region games, to get back into a routine.
“You’ve just got to go back to working hard. And not taking anything off,” Brodina said. “Every practice has to be an intense focus, with a determination level that’s second to none. And I think if we can do those things, get back to our fundamentals, our offensive and defensive principles that we abide by … I think we’ll be successful towards the end.”
The victorious Smith added his confidence in the Firebirds.
“I told the boys in the locker room, they ain’t gonna lose many games,” Smith said. “They’re going to get back to how they started the season. And I’m sure they’re going to spend more time on the practice floor and get everybody back in a groove. We’ll probably be seeing them again. They’re going to be a tough out, come regional tournament.”
