After an easy win over an unranked team on Friday, the No. 3 Devils Lake boys’ basketball team had a tougher task on Saturday: the No. 5 Beulah Miners.
Yet, if you were to look at the score, you’d never know these were two ranked teams facing off in the prime of the season. The Firebirds (10-1, 3-1) handled the Miners (8-2) with no problem, digging them into the ground with an 84-48 win in front of an uproarious Devils Lake home crowd.
“I feel like this was a statement game,” senior guard Wylee Delorme said. “We’re a lot tougher than people think.”
And Devils Lake left no doubt about it, right from the beginning. The Firebirds got off to a whopping 19-5 start, leaving the Beulah bench stunned.
“We just came out, played hard, played physical,” Devils Lake head coach Dustin Brodina said. “Moved the ball real fast. They [the Miners] don’t play defense right off the bat, and I don’t know if they were a little sluggish from playing yesterday and maybe on the road. But we hit some shots early, and that always helps.”
Nine of those initial 19 points came from Joel Nelson, who finished with 16 points — his second performance with that total this week.
“He’s a long and athletic kid,” Brodina said. “When we can get him in the scoring column, it makes us pretty tough.”
Beulah finished the first quarter on a 5-0 run, making it a 19-10 game at the end of the first quarter.
Parker Brodina got off to a strong start in the second quarter with seven points in a 9-5 run for Devils Lake. Then Delorme, who unusually didn’t score any points in the first quarter, landed his first three-pointer of the game.
“Just let the game come to me. Let my teammates create shots for me,” Delorme said. “I’ve been sick for the last three days, so I knew it was gonna come in slow. Eventually got my groove into the game.”
After another basket by Brodina, Delorme made his second three. That’s the way things tend to go with Delorme; once he makes one, he suddenly can’t stop making them.
Nelson made five more points near the end of the second quarter, helping Devils Lake take a 43-25 lead into halftime.
Delorme made two more threes early in the third quarter, contributing to a versatile Devils Lake attack that wasn’t just led by one player.
“We’ve been talking to Wylee a lot about being the best team player he can be,” Brodina said. “And you can see it today; we had probably one of our best team effort games today. The guys will find him, and he’s tough to guard. If Joel goes off in the first quarter, or Parker or somebody else, then they have to key on them, and that leaves [Delorme] open. He’s a great scorer, but also, we gotta understand that we got five guys out there that can do it.”
Beau Brodina was a key piece too, especially in the third quarter. With three baskets and a three in the quarter, he ran his point total up to 14 — passing his brother Parker’s 13. It was an area B. Brodina doesn’t typically contribute in as much as his brother, but it was a welcome surprise for Devils Lake and shined a light on a player who often goes under the radar.
“Beau does a lot of the little things that nobody sees in the stats,” D. Brodina said. “He doesn’t put up a lot of points, but he’s deflecting the basketball, he’s getting steals every day. I mean, he guarded one of the best players, I think, in the state today… When he can score on the offensive end and use his aggressiveness, that’s always a bonus.”
Delorme made his fifth three-pointer of the game in the fourth quarter, finishing with 19 total points. A pair of threes from Max Palmer off the bench helped Devils Lake run its lead up to a 36-point margin — against a team, as a reminder, that was ranked No. 5 in the state earlier this week.
“We keep these guys humble, and we work hard every day regardless of who we’re playing,” Brodina said. “We gotta do our thing and keep progressing as the season goes along. If we do that, I think good things will happen.”
It all came together for Devils Lake on Saturday about as well as it has all season. This win, especially given its dominant fashion, should send a loud message to the NDAPSSA voters in next week’s polls.
Just ask Wylee Delorme.
Joseph “Mojo” Hill is a reporter covering Lake Region sports for the Devils Lake Journal. Contact him on Twitter @mojohill22 or at jhill@devilslakejournal.com for any tips, questions or story ideas.
