Photo by Noah Clooten

Photo by Noah Clooten

In the latest polls, No. 2 Devils Lake boys’ basketball is inching steadily towards the No. 1 spot.

The Firebirds, ranked No. 2 all season behind Kindred, received 10 first-place votes this week compared to Kindred’s 11. Kindred came in with 95 points, while Devils Lake has 94. Both teams are undefeated.

The Firebirds improved to 12-0 on Monday with an 80-31 win over Turtle Mountain. The Vikings are 9-0. The teams will meet on Feb. 22, very likely for a battle over the No. 1 spot.

Thompson went down from No. 4 to No. 5 after losing by nearly 30 to Devils Lake.

Four Winds/Minnewaukan also received votes in the boys’ poll this week. That’s the first poll the Indians have received votes in since the initial preseason ranking. FW/M is on a four-game winning streak, all in commanding fashion. The Indians are 7-3 overall and 0-1 in region play.

The Devils Lake girls remained at No. 2 in their poll as well. They received three first-place votes compared to South Prairie-Max’s 18. Thompson, previously in a tie for No. 5, fell out of the poll after losing by 17 to Devils Lake.

In Class B, New Rockford-Sheyenne rose from No. 6 to No. 4. That’s the highest the Rockets have been ranked all season. They’re 10-1 this year, with their only loss being a 72-70 defeat to a Class A team in Carrington. They improved to 2-0 in district play on Monday with a 68-36 win over Nelson County. NR-S is the highest-ranked team in Class B to not receive any first-place votes.

The undefeated Benson County girls’ team stayed at No. 1 in their poll. The Wildcats are 15-0 with four games remaining in the regular season. They received 14 first-place votes, the same as last week. No. 2 Kenmare/Bowbells got seven first-place votes, up two from last week. K/M is 12-2.

Class A boys’ basketball

  1. Kindred (11) – 95 points (Previous: 1)
  2. Devils Lake (10) – 94 points (Previous: 2)
  3. Killdeer – 63 points (Previous: 3)
  4. Shiloh Christian – 30 points (Previous: 5)
  5. Thompson – 25 points (Previous: 4)

Received votes: Beulah, Four Winds/Minnewaukan

Class A girls’ basketball

  1. South Prairie-Max (18) – 96 points (Previous: 1)
  2. Devils Lake (3) – 87 points (Previous: 2)
  3. Carrington – 63 points (Previous: 3)
  4. Kindred – 40 points (Previous: 4)
  5. Valley City – 21 points (Previous: T-5)

Received votes: Turtle Mountain, Thompson

Class B boys’ basketball

  1. Wilton/Wing (14) – 201 points (Previous: 1)
  2. Bishop Ryan (5) – 191 points (Previous: 2)
  3. North Border (2) – 170 points (Previous: 3)
  4. New Rockford-Sheyenne – 127 points (Previous: 6)
  5. Our Redeemer’s – 117 points (Previous: 5)
  6. Westhope/Newburg – 114 points (Previous: 7)
  7. Hankinson – 60 points (Previous: 4)
  8. Midway/Minto – 54 points (Previous: 8)
  9. Glen Ullin/Hebron – 46 points (Previous: 9)
  10. Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood – 42 points (Previous: 10)

Received votes: Oakes, Velva, Central McLean, LaMoure-Litchville/Marion

Class B girls’ basketball

  1. Benson County (14) – 199 points (Previous: 1)
  2. Kenmare/Bowbells (7) – 184 points (Previous: 2)
  3. Tioga – 160 points (Previous: 3)
  4. Central McLean – 157 points (Previous: 4)
  5. Bowman County – 118 points (Previous: 6)
  6. Berthold – 92 points (Previous: 5)
  7. Washburn – 80 points (Previous: 7)
  8. May-Port-C-G – 67 points (Previous: 8)
  9. Garrison – 47 points (Previous: 9)
  10. LaMoure-Litchville/Marion – 34 points (Previous: NR)

Received votes: Langdon Area/Munich, Linton/HMB, Oakes, Maple River, Sargent County