Dawson Caps Perfect Home Season
The DCC Buccaneers won their 8th game in a row overall and their 25th straight home conference win, dating back two seasons ago to January 2019. They wrapped up their home regular season schedule with a perfect 11-0 record this year. Dawson has 18 wins on the season, tops in the nation. The 84-79 win over the Williston State College Tetons wasn't very close until the final minutes when Williston made a furious comeback that wasn't enough in the end.
The Buccaneers started strong by scoring the first six points out of the gate on an offensive rebound and put-back by Charles Lampten, a 3-pointer from Mike Jok and a free throw by Lampten. With a 14-11 lead eight minutes in, Dawson put together a 12-0 run behind five points from Riley Spoonhunter. The Bucs had a great first half on both sides of the ball shooting 47% from the field while holding Williston State to 35% shooting, forcing 11 turnovers and dominating on the boards. They took a 42-25 lead into half-time.
Halfway through the second half Dawson used a couple of free throws and 3-point shot by Spoonhunter, followed by a dunk from Kennedy Brown and lay-up by Jajuan Tot to increase their lead to 24 points with 9 minutes remaining. Dawson maintained a double digit lead until the final two minutes when the Tetons went on a 10-3 run to make it a one possession game after Jalen Dearing made three free throws. On their next possession, Lampten corralled a miss from Spoonhunter and put it back in to give Dawson the five point win.
Head Coach Joe Peterson shared, "I thought we played a great first 30 minutes and really dominated the game in every facet, but then we let up. They started to hurt us on the boards and we didn't protect the paint like we needed to. It was really good for us though to play in a tight game where we had to execute on both ends to come out with the victory. It had a tournament kind of feel to it tonight. These teams have a lot to play for and aren't going to go away easily."
Dawson outscored Williston 28-14 on points off turnovers, and their bench had a 33-12 advantage.
The Buccaneers were led by Charles Lampten's 18 points (8-12 FG), 13 rebounds (8 offensive), and 5 blocks. Riley Spoonhunter poured in 15 points (3-5 3pt) and came up with 4 steals. Michael Jok scored 13 points and grabbed 8 rebounds to go along with 5 assists and 3 steals. Overall, the Buccaneers shot 52% from the field, but their turnovers allowed Williston State to keep the game within reach in the final minutes.
Williston State's Caleb Johnson led the Tetons with 27 points (10-15 FG) and 9 rebounds (6 Offensive). Beni Fungula added 20 points on 8-12 field goals, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. In the last 10 minutes Williston State forced numerous turnovers and attacked the basket shooting 54% from the field in the 2nd half, which depleted the Buccaneer lead to single digits.
Dawson will finish conference play next Thursday and Friday against Dakota College at Bottineau, while Williston State will play Bismarck State on Monday. The Buccaneers will get a first round by in the Region XIII Tournament and will host a semifinal game on April 1st.
