Friday brought another eventful day of high school basketball to the Lake Region, defined by wins from Four Winds/Minnewaukan and both Devils Lake teams.
Highlights
No. 3 Four Winds/Minnewaukan boys’ basketball bounced back after a tough loss to No. 1 Kindred by beating Thompson 62-31 at home. The Tommies had an early 14-6 lead with four three-pointers, but the Indians went on an 11-0 run. The first half had six lead changes and FW/M led 30-24.
The second half was a completely different story. Thompson scored just one point in the third quarter and seven points total in the half. The Indians ended up winning by 31 despite a close start to the game. Deng Deng led with 25 points. FW/M sits in third place in Region 2 with a 10-3 overall record and 3-1 conference mark.
No. 2 Devils Lake (12-1, 3-1) won as well, beating Grand Forks Central on the road, 89-82. Mason Palmer and Drew Hofstad earned co-Dirty Bird honors as players of the game. The Firebirds beat a solid Knights team that’s 8-5 in Division AA.
No. 4 Devils Lake girls’ basketball (11-4, 4-2) also beat Grand Forks Central (2-10, 0-4) in the comfort of Devils Lake Sports Center. The Firebirds allowed only 17 points after the first quarter and nearly shut the Knights out entirely in the second quarter. It was a 53-29 victory overall.
Devils Lake girls’ hockey (6-9) had a hard-fought loss at home Friday night at Burdick Arena, falling in a shootout to Mandan (12-5) after being tied 5-5 at the end of regulation. Ashlyn Abrahamson had three goals, while Siri Olson and Julia McIvor each had one.
North Star boys’ basketball, ranked No. 2 in Division B, finally saw its undefeated streak come to an end after starting the season 13-0. The Bearcats lost to Hillsboro/Central Valley, a Division A team in the same region as Devils Lake and FW/M. It was a 74-44 defeat.
Lake Region State College men’s hockey beat Williston State College 5-3 on the road in the first of a five-game set against the Tetons. The Royals have won four in a row and are 7-12 overall.
Other scores
Boys’ basketball
Warwick 59, Benson County 47
No. 4 Grafton 68, No. 1 Kindred 74
Carrington 44, Northern Cass 64
Park River/Fordville-Lankin 54, North Prairie 68
Drayton/Valley-Edinburg 50, Cavalier 77
Langdon Area/Edmore/Munich 55, North Border 52
St. John 52, Midway/Minto 81
Nelson County 66, Griggs-Midkota 40
Larimore 57, Hatton/Northwood 64
Girls’ basketball
Grafton 45, Kindred 61
Larimore 28, Hatton/Northwood 63
Nelson County 38, Ellendale 52
North Star 40, St. John 62
Boys’ hockey
Grand Forks Central 4, Fargo South/Shanley 0
Girls’ hockey
Minot 0, Jamestown 2
West Fargo United 4, Bismarck Century 3
Dickinson 1, Grand Forks 4
Williston 1, Fargo Davies 2
What to watch
Devils Lake girls’ hockey plays again on Saturday. The Firebirds will take on Williston (4-12) at Burdick Arena at 1 p.m.
FW/M girls’ basketball plays at Minnewaukan High School against Standing Rock Community at 2 p.m.
LRSC men’s hockey faces Williston State College again on the road at 3 p.m.
Joseph “Mojo” Hill is a reporter covering Lake Region sports for the Devils Lake Journal. Contact him on Twitter @mojohill22 or at jhill@devilslakejournal.com for any tips, questions or story ideas.
