Max Palmer (Photo by Noah Clooten)
DEVILS LAKE — The ringing of a new year means the Ramsey County Boys’ Basketball Tournament is back in town.
Devils Lake JV, the runner-up in last year’s tournament, got the new year started with a commanding win over Benson County on Thursday at the Devils Lake Sports Center. The Firebirds beat the Wildcats 75-46, led by Ben Brodina’s 22 points. They made 10 three-pointers as a team. Max Palmer, Will Heilman and Alex Hammond also reached double figures.
“They came out with some defensive intensity,” said Patrick Thomas, head coach of the JV team and assistant coach on the varsity team. “We had a good start with Ben Brodina. We want to always be physical on the court, which is what we tried to do. And offensively, we just moved the ball.”
Devils Lake JV lost only one game last year — which was the Ramsey County championship game against North Star, the eventual state runner-up in Class B.
“I love the Ramsey County,” Thomas said. “We’ve had pretty good success the last couple years; tough North Star team we lost to last year. But it’s good. It gets the guys playing together. It gets a lot of other guys in. And they get to play in front of some good crowds that JV games don’t always happen.”
The win advanced the Firebirds to Saturday’s semifinals, where they’ll play the winner of Friday’s Larimore vs. Warwick game. Benson County faces the loser of that game at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
For the full story, check out the Jan. 7 Devils Lake Journal print edition.
