Tuesday will bring the game that Lake Region sports are made of: No. 2 Devils Lake vs. No. 3 Four Winds/Minnewaukan.
But first, FW/M had some business to take care of on Saturday. Playing the same Hillsboro/Central Valley team (6-8, 1-5) that the Firebirds took down 81-40 last Thursday, the Indians (12-3, 5-1) won 75-38 at Four Winds High School.
“Our defense dictated the tempo again. Our three guards just worked their tails off,” FW/M head coach Rick Smith said. “They didn’t have a lot of opportunities to set up their offenses, which led to some easy breaks for us.”
Deng Deng — coming off his record-tying 47-point performance — got the scoring started with a rebound that he tipped in the net. The Burros’ Jacob Brandt, who reached 1,000 career points in that earlier game against Devils Lake, swished a three to make it a 4-3 game early on.
Three more points from Deng helped the Indians jump out to a 9-3 lead, but H/CV wasn’t ready to roll over just yet. The Burros got it back to 9-8, then tied it at 11-11 and 13-13. The Indians missed a prime scoring opportunity with the ball rattling around at the rim, going for too big of a play instead of taking the easy shot.
“I thought we were just a little slow to what we were doing,” Smith said. “One of our guards should have shot the layup — I mean, even if he misses the layup, Deng is coming. But to throw something up and not get anything out of it… It’s basically a 7-0 run for them when it shouldn’t have been.”
Deng fell quiet during the latter part of the first quarter, but he finished the period on a strong note with a dunk at the 17.9-second mark. FW/M scored the final eight points of the first quarter and catapulted back in front, 21-13. Marial Deng put up a three right at the buzzer.
“We just had to lock in, just keep our intensity up,” D. Deng said. “We knew once we took care of our little mistakes that we did, then the game was gonna go in our favor.”
The Indians’ run extended to a 12-0 stretch in the early minutes of the second quarter. A Brandt free throw ended that streak, but FW/M came back with authority. Deng nabbed a steal, sprinted down the court and made a thundering two-handed dunk — which has become a bit of a trademark for the 6-foot-4 senior.
Dalen Leftbear made a flashy three with his momentum going backwards, and Deng slammed another dunk after Dorvan McKay bounced one off the backboard. The crowd erupted with every one of those Deng dunks, people watching with awe and even laughing in amazement for the split second that Deng hung from the rim.
“It gets a crowd of fans and people on the court,” Deng said. “It gets us more hype and helps us to bump up our energy and stuff.”
At that point, the Indians’ lead was at 45-21 heading into the halftime break. What was briefly a close game had quickly become a rout. Deng, while behind pace for another 47-point explosion, led the charge with 17 first-half points.
“He’s really starting to get downhill, starting to attack with his spin move, starting to come to his jump-stop,” Smith said. “He’s physical. He’s strong. So it takes a good defender to keep him from those close shots.”
Leftbear was a key piece as well, nearly matching Deng’s first-half total with 15 of his own. While not quite as physical as Deng, Leftbear is a strong shooter and a pesky defender, and he proved as much Saturday night.
“Dalen is just the unsung hero,” Smith said. “He’s gotta guard the 6’9” guy [Brandt] tonight, and I thought he did a phenomenal job on him.”
Leftbear and the Indians held Brandt to just a single free throw in the second quarter.
Deng and Leftbear both kept their games working in full gear at the start of the second half. They complemented each other with back-to-back dunks. Deng ended up sitting out a bunch of the third quarter to get some rest, but FW/M’s lead ran up to 30 by the fourth quarter.
Deng returned in the final quarter and went back to his dunking ways, muscling his way through any kind of defensive pressure. He also made shots from a variety of angles and depths.
“There’s not really a lot of people that have more athletic ability than me,” Deng said. “So I just try to use my quick first step and get downhill as much as I can, and I use that to also rise above people to get my shot.”
The Indians went on a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter, and didn’t allow any non-free throw points until less than two minutes remaining in the game. Deng had 13 points in the second half, giving him 30 on the night. That’s 77 combined points scored during his last two games.
And he’ll be the most vital weapon towards FW/M’s chances of beating Devils Lake on Tuesday. The Indians beat the Firebirds back in December, but Devils Lake hasn’t lost ever since.
“It’s gonna be a phenomenal atmosphere. I really think a lot of people are looking forward to this game,” Smith said. “Devils Lake’s gonna want a little revenge on their minds.”
Devils Lake has been playing its best basketball of late. The Firebirds have won 11 in a row, and their strength lies in how deep and versatile they are on both sides of the ball. Wylee Delorme is their star, but they have a handful of talented players who can more than hold their own. Deng might be flashier than anyone on the Firebirds — though Delorme could probably give him a run for his money — but Devils Lake arguably has a deeper array of shooters and defenders.
It’ll be No. 2 vs. No. 3. This late in the season, the matchup could have huge implications on playoff seeding.
“We’ve gotta keep them from getting easy baskets, keep them from getting into their runs,” Smith said. “They’re starting to play seven, eight guys that can all shoot the basketball, so our defense is gonna have to dictate that game. But it’s gonna be a lot of fun for everybody.”
Tip-off is scheduled for Tuesday at 7:15 p.m. at Devils Lake Sports Center. The Indians, who only slipped to No. 3 after losing a nose-to-nose battle with No. 1 Kindred, are on a mission to reestablish themselves as the best team in the Lake Region.
“Don’t let them make us uncomfortable or nothin’,” Deng said. “I feel like once we just play our game, stick to how we’ve been playing, then we have a pretty good chance of getting a win.”
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.
