Alvin Payne (Photo by Noah Clooten)
DEVILS LAKE — The Lake Region State College men’s basketball team swept its two-game slate in the Spirit Lake Casino & Resort Classic.
The Royals (3-2) beat Minnesota North College — Hibbing (1-3) at the Devils Lake Sports Center on Sunday, 107-69. Despite the big point total, no single player particularly dominated. Instead, LRSC got scoring contributions from 13 players, including five in double figures.
“It was everybody,” Royals head coach Jared Marshall said. “We shot the ball really well.”
The squad was led by returning sophomore Alvin Payne. He recently returned from an injury and hasn’t missed a beat. He scored a team-high 16 points overall, including 10 in the first quarter.
“Great seeing Alvin back out there looking like his former self,” Marshall said.
Eight of Payne’s 16 points were from free throws, with six coming in the first quarter. He went 8-of-10 from the line, while the Royals went 31-of-38 from the line overall.
Four Winds alum Dalen Leftbear contributed, too. He got the start amidst a crowded roster, and had a respectable showing with 10 points and seven rebounds.
“He just kind of fills the role of whatever,” Marshall said. “He’s just a super efficient guy. And then he guards the other team’s best player. Rebounds, guards, energy, buckets, things like that — those are things he does that we don’t always get from other guys.”
After LRSC led 11-4, Hibbing made it as close as 16-13. The Royals pulled away with a 10-0 run late in the first half.
Brennan Johnson scored eight points off the bench in the first half.
The Royals built on their lead with an 11-0 run early in the second half. Akok Ajou slammed a two-handed dunk in that stretch. Ajou, one of the other returning sophomores, had a modest eight points on Sunday but is the team’s leading scorer so far this year.
“He’s really stepped up his game,” Marshall said. “It was a day where other guys got the opportunities to step up. But when we need a bucket, or we need things, he’s one of the guys we’re looking at. And he’s done a really nice job so far this year.”
The bench did more damage than the starters in the second half. Little Hail Perkins, Ashton Munro and Derrick Lee Jr. each hit a triple. Perkins and Munro each had seven points in the half. The Royals also converted 10 of their 11 free throws.
“We’ve been playing everybody every night, all the time,” Marshall said. “I’ve been toying with a little five-in, five-out stuff. That’s important to me. It’s important because I told you how much I like this group. It’s a great group. And it’s hard because I want them all to be successful.”
Lee Jr., a Division-I transfer, didn’t enter until late in the game. He got the least playing time of any Royal who appeared in the game, with two minutes and 50 seconds. But he still contributed at the end.
“He’s been struggling a little bit to kind of find his role and find his identity,” Marshall said. “We need him to find that and just kind of gain that confidence.”
Starter Cooper Adams hit two threes in the second half to finish with 12 points, tied with Johnson for second-most on the team. Quyavant Douglas added 11.
“Brennan Johnson came in, gave us some great minutes off the bench,” Marshall said. “Q, he’s been kind of struggling lately, but he finally got going today. So it was really good to see.”
Two Royals were out with minor injuries: redshirt freshman Jazayah Gates and North Star alum Dane Hagler.
Hagler is day-to-day after getting an X-ray on his shoulder, which confirmed that he didn’t separate it. Gates just got nicked up in practice a little bit. Both should be back on the court soon.
With two straight wins, the Royals have some positives to take on the road in the Williston State College Classic this weekend.
“I think after opening weekend, defense was a real struggle for us,” Marshall said. “I thought we really came in with an attitude to get better in that area this week. I liked some of the things I saw out of our zone today, and just kind of giving people a different look. And that was great.”
