Four Winds/Minnewaukan gives No. 2 Devils Lake boys’ basketball a fight in 71-53 Firebirds win

FORT TOTTEN — The Indians are a tougher team than the one Devils Lake beat by 39 last month.

In a rematch of the cross-lake rivals, Four Winds/Minnewaukan boys’ basketball gave No. 2 Devils Lake a game. The Indians trailed by only one point at the end of the first quarter and by as little as two early in the fourth quarter.

“I was really, really happy with the effort,” FW/M head coach Rick Smith said. “The key is about improving. You have to improve. And you can’t take steps backward. And I thought we really improved since the last time we played them.”

The Firebirds (14-0, 5-0) prevailed, winning 71-53 over FW/M (9-5, 2-3) at Four Winds High School on Tuesday. But they were tested, unable to roll over the Indians the way they did in a 74-35 blowout on Jan. 6.

“They’re not making mistakes,” Devils Lake head coach Dustin Brodina said of the improved FW/M team. “So you’ve gotta really execute your offense. They’re in position. They’re not gambling. Sometimes when they press, that allows us to take advantage a little bit, but they didn’t tonight. They played really good defense. They stayed in front of us and played physical.”

Oliver Wirth led Devils Lake with 17 points, including 10 in a fourth-quarter explosion. Mason Palmer and Parker Brodina were right behind him with 16 each. Brodina made four three-pointers in the game after being held scoreless in the first quarter. Joel Nelson added 10 points.

For the Indians, Joran Lohnes was the scoring leader with 13 off the bench. Marial Deng put up 11, and Sonny Alberts scored eight second-half points.

The Firebirds started in a 5-0 hole, capped by a three from Deng. Baskets by Trason Beck and Wirth got Devils Lake within one, but FW/M widened the gap back to four after an and-one by Tyler Black Jr.

Devils Lake leapt ahead with a 6-0 run. Palmer swished a three, then made his own and-one. He scored seven consecutive Devils Lake points to give the Firebirds a slight 12-11 edge.

The teams traded baskets to end the first quarter, and it was a 14-13 Devils Lake lead after one. Beck missed both free throw attempts after Alberts’ second foul, but Beck capped the quarter with a nice running move to the basket.

Lohnes hit his first of two threes on the night for the Indians to keep them within a 17-16 margin early in the second quarter. Devils Lake rode an 8-0 run to widen the gap, including Brodina’s first points of the game via a triple. Fausten Olson also hit a three off the bench.

But, with Devils Lake on the precipice of running away with it at 25-16, FW/M responded with six straight points of its own. Lohnes committed his second foul, but Wirth missed both free throw attempts. It was a three-point game at 25-22.

Brodina gave the Firebirds some breathing room with his second triple of the evening. Deng ran it back down the court for the Indians and slammed a dunk. Beck missed two more free throws, making him 0-of-4 from the line in the first half. The Firebirds were just 6-of-13 as a team from the stripe in the half.

It prevented Devils Lake from really taking off early in this one. Palmer still capped the half with a basket to get the Firebirds to 30, and he led the team in points with 11 at halftime. But it was only a six-point lead.

“I thought defensively, our effort was there,” Smith said. “If we can continue to do that, we could be a good team down the stretch. We can beat a lot of teams.”

Devils Lake crept its lead into double digits in the third quarter — a gap as wide as 43-31 after threes by Brodina, Wirth and Palmer.

But the Indians kept finding ways to the rim. Lohnes had six points in the third quarter, Deng had five points and Alberts had four. FW/M rode an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 43-39.

“Offensively, I thought at times, we were patient; at times, we weren’t patient,” Smith said. “And when you’re not patient against a team like that, they’ll just take advantage of it.”

In the midst of that run, though, Ron McKay fell to the ground appearing to hurt his left knee. McKay, whose start to the season was delayed due to injury, has been one of the key contributors in bringing this FW/M team to life.

Smith said he hopes McKay’s injury is just minor.

“I hope so. I mean, he’s walking okay,” Smith said. “He’s a little stiff, a little sore. But taking him tomorrow [Wednesday] to see Cory [Schuh], just to see what he thinks.”

Lohnes’ six points were the last six of the quarter for the Indians. He landed his second three-pointer of the game to cut the gap to 46-42 heading into the fourth quarter.

“Joran plays off emotions,” Smith said. “He shoots the ball extremely well from the outside. He can post up guards. And I thought he played with a lot of emotion tonight.”

With eight minutes to go, FW/M was still very much in this game.

“Just stay composed,” D. Brodina said. “Keep doing what they were doing, offensively. Keep working the ball. And it was good for us; that adversity was good for us. The close game was good. But take one possession at a time and get good possessions.”

P. Brodina was charged with his fourth foul on the first play of the fourth quarter. Alberts made a bucket to squeeze the lead to 46-44. But then Black Jr. fouled out for FW/M.

Brodina came up big again with his fourth triple, shooting one that bounced around the rim and fell in to extend Devils Lake’s advantage to 51-44.

“He’s a great leader,” D. Brodina said of his son and player. “He lets the game come to him. He doesn’t force it. And that’s just part of a leader and being one of the top players in the region.”

Alberts’ fourth basket of the game got the Indians within five. But, from there, FW/M ran out of gas and Devils Lake sailed the rest of the way. Nelson made a pair of free throws, then scored after an Indians turnover. He had six points in the quarter.

With less than two minutes to go, and Devils Lake’s lead back into double digits, Lohnes fouled out. Alberts also left the game late with an apparent injury.

“We have a few breaks go our way… If we could have kept those guys on the floor, we could have battled even more down the stretch,” Smith said.

Wirth made his first free throw, then made his second but was called for stepping over the line. He appeared to disagree. Wirth, playing hot now, slammed a two-handed dunk on the next possession. After a timeout, he made another emphatic dunk.

“He’s gotta let things control what he can control,” Brodina said. “And not get frustrated with little things. But he’s a great player. He had some big shots in the second half as well. And yeah, he’s a great, athletic guy. Those dunks were fun. But we’ve just gotta remember to stay composed and not let little things get to you.”

It was a 9-0 run for Devils Lake to bring the lead to 71-51 — now a 20-point gap with only seconds to go.

Kashton Keja Jr. made his second basket of the game to finish a more-than-respectable effort for the Indians. But the defending champion Firebirds were ultimately too strong for the Indians to dismantle.

“I told them in the locker room, ‘Your effort, your intensity; you left it all out here tonight,’” Smith said. “Very pleased with the effort. It’s a good team we faced tonight. And you know they’re gonna be there at the end; they’re the defending state champions, and odds are they’re gonna be right there again. They’re a veteran ball club. They play together well.”

These teams’ next possible chance to meet will be in the region tournament from March 10-13 in Mayville.