Tetons halt winning streak of Royals

Article by Harry Lipsiea, Devils Lake Journal Sports, February 7th, 2017.

Since starting Mon-Dak Conference play, the Lake Region State College men's basketball has been on impressive run. Going into Monday's contest with Williston State College, the Royals had won seven of its last eight games including six conference games.

Keys to this successful run have been holding onto the ball, tough defense and an impressive shooting percentage. Facing a tough opponent on the road, the team struggled Monday evening in the Williston Well with a 90-80 loss to the Tetons.

"Everything that has made us successful in conference play, we struggled to do tonight," Jared Marshall, LRSC second-year head coach, commented. "We have been great limiting runs and tonight they made multiple 10-plus scoring runs."

The coach also noted that his team only had 10 assists to 12 turnovers. Shooting was also an issue as the team shot 33 percent from the field and 23 percent from beyond the arc. Ultimately, the Royals were flat much of the night, the coach added.

"Our energy and defensive effort was nowhere near an acceptable level tonight. That has been such a key thing in our success during conference play and tonight it wasn't there," Marshall added.

Cedric Boone led the way with 34 points. Jordan Bolton finished with 21 points. Nic Fassos chipped in with seven points while Jayson Edwards scored six. Ben Rennie added five points while Harvey Barr scored four. Derrick Laudenbach chipped in with two points while James Street rounded out the scoring with a point.

One positive area for the Royals was rebounding. The team finished with a 55-49 edge over Williston State College. Fassos finished with 10 rebounds while Boone, Bolton and Barr added eight rebounds apiece. James Streeter brought down six boards.

I liked the way we crashed the boards tonight," Marshall said. "We gave a good effort there, we just struggled to convert."

The coach credited the Tetons for their ability to make the Royals struggle on the offensive end of the court.

"We settled too much offensively and didn't get great looks. Hats off to them for their defense. They really made us work," he stated.

Williston State College led 42-36 at the half. LRSC was within striking distance late getting as close as two points with seven minutes remaining on the game clock. A 12-0 run down the stretch for the home team was the difference.

"Guys struggled when we needed them. We didn't make enough winning plays and that's what it came down to," Marshall commented.

The Royals march on as they host Dawson Community College. LRSC is hoping for a season sweep of the Buccaneers. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m.