Nicole Lillard/Photo by Noah Clooten
Both of Lake Region State College’s basketball teams got off to solid starts this weekend in New Town, competing in the Mon-Dak Pre-Conference Tournament.
The men’s and women’s squads, both of whom were previewed in last week’s edition, each went 2-1. It was an encouraging start for the teams, who go into this season with fresh and revamped rosters compared to last year.
The LRSC men beat the 2023-24 Region XIII champion, North Dakota State College of Science, 95-84 to start the season on Friday. The Royals lost 104-98 to Miles Community College on Saturday before bouncing back with a 109-106 win over Williston State College on Sunday.
Poet Davis led LRSC with 85 points on the weekend, while Bronson Chambers had the most rebounds with 21. Chambers added 49 points, while Ginuwine Tropnas and Akok Ajou each put up 18 rebounds.
The women had the same pattern of wins and losses. They opened with an 88-82 victory over Dakota College at Bottineau before falling 64-55 to NDSCS. They finished the weekend with a 71-58 win against Dawson Community College.
Freshmen Jenna Tierney and Sydney Schwabe tied for the Royals’ lead in points on the weekend, with 46. Sophomore Nicole Lillard had 38. Lillard was LRSC’s leading rebounder, with 28.
Davis, the men’s leading scorer all weekend, made his Royals debut with 32 points on Friday in their upset win over NDSCS. Sophomore transfer Chambers also shined, putting up 15 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore returner Tropnas, with nine points, actually scored the least among the Royals’ starters. Freshmen Alvin Payne and Ajou scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The Royals outscored the Wildcats by eight in the first half and three in the second half. So often last year, when they went 9-22, they failed to close out games in the second half even when they got off to a strong start. But they played a full 40 minutes against a formidable team to open the season.
LRSC came out sluggish in its second game, though, against MCC. It fell into a 21-point hole. But the Royals battled back, cutting the deficit to two at one point. They trailed 54-46 at the half and outscored the Pioneers by two in the second half, but ultimately fell 104-98 to even their record.
Davis was once again the leading scorer in another strong offensive showing, putting up 27 points. Tropnas had a better second game, with 19 points, while Ajou had 16. All three of them had nine rebounds each, falling one short of a double-double. Freshman Ron Lee scored 11 points off the bench.
After splitting the first two games, the Royals won another shootout to close the weekend. They led 68-52 at halftime and got outscored by 13 in the second half, but held on to win 109-106.
Davis led with 26 points this time, while Chambers put up 21. Ajou and Tropnas scored 18 and 14, respectively, while Lee had 10 off the bench. The team only combined for 36 rebounds, with nobody recording more than six.
Still, it capped a solid start for LRSC, which put up 302 points in three games.
The women’s team, with its smaller roster, beat Bottineau 88-82 on Friday. The Royals built a 49-37 lead at halftime, and nearly let it slip away, going down 80-79 at one point. But they held on, propelled by massive shots from Tierney and Schwabe.
Schwabe, the former Thompson star, led with 24 points. Tierney, a redshirt freshman who followed new head coach Colden Hutton from his previous destination, scored 20. Sophomore returner Nicole Lillard had 10 points and 14 rebounds. Arden Faulkner, another returner, put up 16 points and six rebounds. Australian freshman Lara Graham scored 13 points off the bench.
The Royals were notably playing without Brinly Gregory or Morgan Leas, giving them only seven active players.
Like the men, they dug themselves in a hole on Saturday and couldn’t quite dig out of it. LRSC trailed 22-2 out of the gates against a talented NDSCS team. The Royals outscored the Wildcats 19-8 in the second quarter, though, and wound up falling 64-55.
Lillard was the leading scorer this time with 16 points. Among the four returners, she had the best season on last year’s team. Tierney and Schwabe each had 10 points, while Schwabe and sophomore returner Kiara Holweger each recorded seven rebounds. Ugandan sophomore transfer Elizabeth Kisolo scored nine points off the bench.
The Royals bounced back on Sunday, beating DCC 71-58 to finish 2-1 on the weekend. They trailed 18-6 after the first quarter and were down by 17 at one point, but battled back to tie it at 28-28 going into halftime. LRSC outscored the Buccaneers by 13 in the second half to finish the tournament on a strong note and nab its second win of the season.
Tierney led the team with 16 points, while Lillard and Schwabe each had 12. Lillard also had 11 rebounds, making it her second double-double of the season. Graham scored 11 points off the bench. Holweger also had nine points and eight rebounds.
Now, both LRSC teams will come back to Devils Lake with winning records. The squads are at home this Friday against Minnesota North College — Vermilion, and on Saturday against Minnesota North College — Hibbing (men) and Concordia College JV (women). The women play at 5 p.m. at home on Friday, while the men play at 8 p.m. On Saturday, the women play at 2 p.m. and the men play at 5 p.m.
