Photo by Clare Trinh, University of Mary Sports Photographer
Last year’s Class A state basketball tournament MVP had a huge night for the University of Mary.
Wylee Delorme, who helped Devils Lake boys’ basketball end a 99-year state title drought in 2024, scored 32 points in the Marauders’ 76-58 loss to MSU Moorhead on Saturday. That tied a freshman record for the Marauders for as long as they’ve been a part of the NCAA Division II. Eric Erdmann scored 32 in December 2006, which was Mary’s first year at this level.
It was the most points any Marauders player has scored since December 2023, when Brock Heffner put up 36.
Delorme didn’t start, but he tallied 27 minutes off the bench (the fourth-most on the team). He shot 8-of-13 from the field, including 5-of-7 from three-point range. He also went 11-of-11 from the free throw line.
Twenty-four of his 32 points came in the second half. He scored 20 consecutive Mary points during a 26-10 run to get the Marauders within one point, the school’s press release noted.
Delorme has played in 17 of Mary’s 27 games this year. Previously, his season-best point total had been 10. He’s averaging 11 minutes per game. After the 32-point outburst, his points per game on the season is 5.1 — which ranks sixth on the team, despite receiving significantly fewer minutes than the starters. He’s totaled five offensive rebounds and 22 defensive rebounds. He’s yet to start a game for Mary.
The Marauders are 5-22 overall and 3-15 in NSIC play.
Delorme is coming off a high school career that saw him score more than 1,000 points. He put up 17.9 points per game during his senior year, then won state tournament MVP at the end of Devils Lake’s championship run in March 2024. He was also a finalist for North Dakota’s Mr. Basketball and was named a Lions All-Star.
The Marauders are led by head coach Jack Nelson, who also recruited current Devils Lake senior Parker Brodina to join Delorme at Mary next year. Brodina is currently leading an undefeated, No. 2-ranked Firebirds team looking to make a second-straight title run.
There are four games left in the regular season for the Mary basketball team. The Marauders play two games in Minnesota on Feb. 14 and 15 before returning to Bismarck for their final two home games on Feb. 21 and 22.
