Oliver Wirth (Photo by Noah Clooten)
It’s early, but Devils Lake boys’ basketball looks like a formidable contender to repeat as state champion.
The Firebirds, ranked No. 2 in Class A, have won all their games by double-digit margins. Here’s a quick look at what’s making them so successful.
They work together well
No matter who you talk to around the team, they all stress the same message: a team-first mentality.
Devils Lake has what could probably be four individual superstars leading it. But what makes the team truly great is not any singular point scorer, but rather, the way they all gel together on the court. The way they pass to each other. The way they anticipate each other’s tendencies. If one guy gets buried, another guy is almost always open.
Oliver Wirth, who led the Firebirds with 19 points on Jan. 6, said it was “we, rather than me.” He said he even prefers passing most of the time, despite making five threes that night and dunking. Three days later, it was Parker Brodina who stole the show, scoring 16 points in the first quarter alone. The team specifically designed sets so he could get his 1,000-points milestone out of the way.
“He’s so consistent,” head coach Dustin Brodina said. “And anytime he can push the gas pedal, he can do it and probably put 30 up every night. But that’s not gonna win us a state championship at the end. It’s gotta be team, team, team.”
With the exception of that quarter, Devils Lake’s style of play isn’t geared towards any one player leading the way. Wirth will often run in for a dunk. But then Mason Palmer will hit a three from the corner, and Brodina will get down the lane and find the rim. If Brodina misses a three-point attempt, Joel Nelson will jump in for the put-back. Trason Beck has also stepped in as a solid rebounder, defender and occasional point scorer.
It’s a complete team. Arguably just as complete as last year.
Oliver Wirth and Mason Palmer have stepped in as scoring threats
Wirth and Palmer, in particular, have been enormous X-factors.
Both guys were slightly buried on last year’s talented team. Palmer saw increased playing time towards the end of the season and was a big part of the state championship run, but neither were in the starting five.
It’s hard to imagine that now, with both players reaching double-digit points consistently.
“Mason’s a great leader,” D. Brodina said. “On any team, he could score a whole bunch, but on this team, he’s a great leader for us. When it’s there, it’s there; he takes it and goes downhill. If not, he finds that open guy.”
Palmer commands the floor and makes lockdown shots when he needs to. Wirth, who’s 6-foot-6 and also an all-state wide receiver, is arguably the flashiest player on the team who can dunk and alley-oop. But he’s strong from long-range too, giving Devils Lake another serious offensive weapon.
Nelson complements the bunch, too, as another guy who embraces his role whether it’s passing or scoring. With all four of those players clicking, and Beck filling in after playing on JV last year, the Firebirds have an arguably-even-deeper starting five than they did last season.
They carry experience, too, with four seniors and one junior.
“It’s big,” P. Brodina said. “Tray, he’s stepped up a lot on the defensive end. He’s working really hard. And offensively, if we can all share the ball, we can all make shots and we can all score the rock. If we share the ball we can play at a high level.”
The toughest competition is still in the future
As much fun as this team is having, it’s important to look at the toughest tests in its future.
The Firebirds will play No. 3 Grafton, their region foe, twice. They’ll host the Spoilers on Jan. 21, then travel to Grafton on Feb. 18. Grafton ended a long winning streak for Devils Lake last season, though the Firebirds got their revenge in the semifinal of the state tournament. They’ll need to handle business against Grafton again this year to prove they belong at the top of Region 2.
Devils Lake is also set to play No. 1 Kindred on the road on Feb. 22. Kindred went undefeated in the regular season last year before losing to Devils Lake in the state championship. The Firebirds and Vikings did not meet during the regular season. As well as the Firebirds have been playing, it hasn’t been enough for the voters to rank them ahead of Kindred so far this year — Feb. 22 will be their chance to leapfrog ahead in the rankings.
