Dawson Men Sweep Lake Region
(Pictured: Kenneth Brown)
The Dawson Community College Buccaneers extended their home winning streak to 18 games (21 in conference) and solidified their lead in the Mon-Dak Conference by beating the visiting Lake Region State College Royals 67-64 on Thursday night. The teams played each other on back to back nights in Glendive. Dawson also won on Wednesday night in a two point game 54-52. Thursday's first half was very similar to last night's matchup, with a lot of great defense being played and limited scoring. The Bucs only scored two points in the opening eight minutes of the game and found themselves down 8-2. A few minutes later, they were still down by 6 points 13-7. Dawson went on a mini 12-2 run, Charles Lampten scored inside and Kell Schwers hit a 3-pointer. Kennedy Brown gave DCC the lead with a bucket inside. Riley Spoonhunter connected on two from long range in the final two minutes of the half, including the final score to help Dawson lead at half time 22-18.
In the second half, both teams finally got their offenses going. The Bucs started strong with a steal by Cordell Stinson and a traditional three-point play. Dawson led the entire way in the second half, building a 10 point lead hallway through after another Spoonhunter 3-pointer. The visitors answered with a 13- 5 run to close within two, but Dawson held them at bay with a 13-4 run over the next five minutes that was capped by a Michael Jok 3-pointer to give them a 62-51 lead with two minutes remaining. The Royals made a couple of 3-pointers in the final two minutes to make it close, but Jok went 5-6 from the free throw line to seal the victory.
Coach Joe Peterson commented, "Our defense was outstanding the past two nights. Lake Region really struggled to score in both games. Even though we didn't play great offensively, we gave ourselves a chance because we continued getting stops and finishing the possessions with rebounds. Riley Spoonhunter's three-pointers in the second half really got us going and Dawson Laverell came off the bench and gave us some really important minutes that provided a lift for the team. I liked the toughness we showed in these two games, especially on the boards.”
The Buccaneers were led by Spoonhunter's 17 points (5-8 3pt). Jok added 12 points and 4 rebounds, while Kennedy Brown added 12 points and 5 rebounds. Defensively the Buccaneers got back to their usual style of play, as they forced 17 turnovers and only allowed 8 offensive rebounds while holding the visitors to 35% shooting on the night.
Lake Region State was led by Beijan Newbern who scored 21 points (7-13 FG) and grabbed 6 rebounds. Brody Kreisel chipped in with 11 points and 6 rebounds. Overall, the Royals kept the game close with their free-throw shooting (16-19 in the 2nd half) and shot 52% from the field in the final twenty minutes.
Dawson is now 12-2 on the season and sitting in first place in the Mon-Dak Conference while Lake Region is 7-7. DCC defeated the Royals in all three contests this year.
Dawson will travel to Williston State on Sunday. Lake Region State will be back at home against United Tribes.
