The time has come. The two prime high school basketball programs in the Lake Region are set to face off this week, as Devils Lake is scheduled for rematches with Four Winds/Minnewaukan in both the boys’ and girls’ divisions.
The girls are up first on Monday night at 7:15 p.m. No. 4 Devils Lake (12-5, 5-2) is in second place in Region 2, while FW/M is in fourth place (9-9, 3-5). The Firebirds are having a better season than the Indians, but when the teams faced off back in December, Devils Lake only won by three, 47-44.
With a loss to Valley City last week, the Firebirds are going to need another win against the Indians to keep their ranking afloat. The latest poll results should be released a few hours before the start of Monday’s game. In any case, it should be a competitive rivalry game and an energetic atmosphere at Devils Lake Sports Center.
Highlights
The Lake Region State College basketball teams swept Dakota College at Bottineau in Devils Lake on Sunday. The men ended their seven-game losing streak, while the women won their 13th in their last 15. Each squad has six games remaining in the regular season. Read more on these games in Thursday’s edition of the Journal.
Other scores
Men’s basketball
North Dakota State College of Science 82, Miles Community College 66
United Tribes Technical College 68, Dawson Community College 108
Women’s basketball
North Dakota State College of Science 94, Miles Community College 82
United Tribes Technical College 75, Dawson Community College 79
What to watch
The big event in Devils Lake on Monday is the aforementioned Firebirds-Indians girls’ basketball game, followed by an even bigger game on Tuesday between two ranked boys teams.
Devils Lake girls’ hockey also plays on Monday as it tries to sneak its way into a playoff position. The Firebirds are on the road against a non-conference opponent, East Grand Forks, at 6 p.m. Devils Lake is in seventh place out of 12 North Dakota teams with a 7-11 record. This will be its first game against a team outside of the conference (given that East Grand Forks is, of course, technically in Minnesota).
In Division B basketball, the No. 3 North Star boys are at home against a region opponent in St. John. The Bearcats are 15-1 overall, 8-0 in Region 2 and 6-0 in District 3. The Woodchucks are second-to-last in Region 2 with records of 2-13, 2-3 and 1-5. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at North Star High School.
New Rockford-Sheyenne girls’ basketball (9-9, 5-4, 4-2) also plays its last regular season game of the year against Medina-Pingree/Buchanan (4-14, 3-8, 2-6) on the road at 7:30 p.m.
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.
