Ben Brodina leaps for the opening tip-off against Thompson’s Noah Hippen. (Photo by Cameron Carlson)
Max Palmer gets in position. (Photo by Cameron Carlson)
Mason Palmer stands with his hands on his hips between plays. (Photo by Cameron Carlson)
Landry Exner gets in the game for his varsity debut. (Photo by Cameron Carlson)
DEVILS LAKE — The Firebirds entered Friday in fifth place out of eight teams in Region 2 — yet ranked No. 3 in the state.
It perfectly illustrates how topsy-turvy this season has been.
Ever since a loss to No. 1 Four Winds/Minnewaukan on Feb. 10, Devils Lake boys’ basketball has been back to its old ways. The Firebirds have won four in a row, averaging 76.25 points per game. Mason and Max Palmer have combined for 186 of their 305 points in that span.
“Our offense has been clicking,” Devils Lake head coach Dustin Brodina said. “That’s the reason we lost the Four Winds game, is our offense was horrendous. And just getting the guys comfortable again with the guys that are back, getting them comfortable with each other — that’s the thing that’s going to click.”
The Firebirds (14-7, 8-6) put an exclamation mark on their regular season with a 65-46 win over Thompson (8-12, 6-7) on Friday at the Devils Lake Sports Center.
With the two-point region win, Devils Lake secured the No. 4 seed.
“We’ve just been playing more like a team,” Mason Palmer said of this recent stretch. “We haven’t really been just forcing shots off quick possessions. And then defensively, just working together as a team, rotating, and then our defense leads our offense.”
Friday was the last home game for the Palmers, Kade Fee and Bryar Exner.
“It went by really fast,” Palmer said. “I never thought, like, four years ago, I’d be like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s over now.’ But it’s over now. So never gonna do it again. It’s pretty crazy.”
The Firebirds took over the game right away with five triples in the first quarter, including three by Palmer.
He led Devils Lake with 20 points.
“Hitting our shots really got our momentum going,” Palmer said.
The offense quieted early in the second quarter, then got going again with a 13-2 run to make it 40-19.
Exner helped out with six points in the quarter. Ben Brodina and Max Palmer each added 10 points in the first half, while Mason Palmer was at 13 at halftime.
“The guys moved the ball well, and they were shooting them in rhythm, and that’s what we want,” Coach Brodina said. “Shooting them in rhythm and making that extra pass. And I thought we did a great job of that.”
Mason had a mid-range jumper and a breakaway in the third quarter. He reached the 20-point threshold with his fourth triple of the night.
He’s accumulated 116 points over the last four games. He scored just seven in his return to the court against FW/M.
“As much as you think you can try to simulate game speed for six weeks, we weren’t able to do that,” Brodina said. “You just can’t simulate it. And everybody else has been playing games, so you’re kind of playing catch-up. And it just took a game to get [Mason and Max] into rhythm.”
Mason agreed that having a game back — his first since before Christmas — helped him catch up to the flow of things.
“I think it was just the game speed and the game looks that I needed to see again,” he said. “And once I saw it, and my team helps me score, too — so once we were all working together again, I think that’s really what helped me and our team.”
Brodina also had four triples on Friday, after hitting two in the third quarter. He finished with 16 points.
Exner and Fee combined for five in the third quarter.
Max Palmer added three to his line in the fourth.
Numerous players came off the bench, including the varsity debut for Landry Exner, Bryar’s younger brother. The student section was especially invested in his appearance, chanting “We want Landry!” at one point.
It was 64-35 with 4:07 left when Devils Lake pulled its starters. Thompson finished the game on an 11-1 run.
“I thought we did a lot of good team things,” Coach Brodina said. “Defensively, our goal was to keep them in the 30s, which we were close, anyway, and to be the best defensive team. … I was proud of the effort after a week off.”
Having the Palmers back and on a roll not only provides a scoring boost, but it makes everyone else’s jobs easier. Fee and Exner can play their parts without needing to worry about making all the buckets. Alex Hammond can provide rebounding prowess off the bench. Talan Gregory and Egan Laite can come off the bench and hit shots — without needing to be front and center.
“The guys play well together,” Brodina said. “And the pieces of the puzzle are there. And we’ve got some guys on the bench that, during this time off, that stepped up. And I have a lot of trust in them, and they’ll come in and play hard, too. And hopefully we can make a run down the stretch.”
If FW/M had beaten Hillsboro/Central Valley on Friday, Devils Lake would have clinched the No. 3 seed.
But the Burros ended the Indians’ 17-game winning streak with a 51-48 victory. So the Firebirds will settle for the No. 4 seed. They’ll face Thompson again in the first round of the region tournament on March 9 at Mayville State University.
“We have a lot of confidence,” Mason Palmer said. “If we just keep playing team ball, I think we can go far in this tournament.”
Through all of the ups and downs, Devils Lake enters the playoffs with a four-game winning streak — including a Feb. 20 win over then-No. 2 Central Cass.
“All these teams are tough,” Brodina said. “Thompson’s a great team. They’re a great defensive team, and they’re very disciplined. And Central Cass is a team that can put the ball in the hole with the best of them. And you’ve got to find different ways to win. And I think we’ve done that all these four games.”
