Feb. 4’s win over Dakota College at Bottineau must have ignited something within the Lake Region State College men’s basketball team, because the Royals carried that momentum into another win on the road.
The Royals moved from last place to seventh place with their second straight victory, this time over sixth-place Williston State College. They led 33-25 at halftime and did just enough to hold on for an 84-83 win. They led 78-69 with two minutes remaining, and the Tetons nearly staged a comeback, but the Royals were able to win by the skin of their teeth.
Ginwuine Tropnas led with 17 points after a relatively quiet game in the team’s overall well-rounded performance against Bottineau. Noah Bonick had 16 points and nine rebounds, just short of a double-double. Blessed Barhayiga had a typically solid game with 13 points and seven rebounds. Jordan Willis and Rihards Porietis had 11 and 10 points off the bench, respectively. LRSC had a better shooting percentage than WSC: 46.3 to 41.8.
The Royals (8-17, 4-12) have a tougher task ahead of them on Sunday, Feb. 11 as they take on first-place North Dakota State College of Science (24-1, 15-1).
The lady Royals, meanwhile, suffered a loss to the Tetons, who sit in first place in the women’s standings. LRSC pulled off an upset win against WSC on Jan. 28, but couldn’t replicate the same magic on the road. The Tetons got their redemption and won 64-47.
It was a typically low-scoring game for the defensive-minded Royals, but the Tetons started to pull away as the game went on. The Royals trailed 7-5 after an especially low-scoring first quarter. But an 11-point advantage in the fourth quarter for WSC killed any chance of a comeback.
Tiyahna Trottier and Nicole Lillard tied for the team lead with 12 points. The Tetons outshot the Royals 44.9% to 30.4%.
LRSC (16-9, 9-7) is still in third place in the conference. Its next game will be a rematch with second-place North Dakota State College of Science (20-5, 13-3) , which it beat last time as well.
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.
