Balanced Scoring Night Leads to Royals Victory

Article by Chris Harris, Devils Lake Journal Sports, February 7th, 2019

Another game, another slow start for the Lake Region State College men basketball team.

"Our slow start, wasn't as slow and as long as it has been. I mean it was slow but it wasn't as long of a period of time," said Royals coach Jared Marshall.

The Royals, who only had just three points over the first five minutes of their game against Miles Community College, eventually turned it on and came away with the 86-66 MonDak win Wednesday from the Sports Center.

"It didn't take us as long to get going, which is progress and I'll take it but once we got going, we crushed it," Marshall said.

Trailing 15-5 at the under 14 media timeout, the Royals (18-7, 6-2 MonDak) went on a 13-2 run that concluded with a Dalton Prouty 3-pointer that put the Royals ahead 18-17. An Akeen Woods basket with a minute left to go before halftime but the Royals ahead for good.

"When they want to, we can really go. And we proved that tonight," Marshall said.

The Royals, who led by as many as 22 points in the close moments of the game, had five players to score in double figures and two others were one and two points away respectively from the 10 point plateau. Both Prouty and Zac Olson each scored 12 points to pace the Royals. Olson also had eight rebounds.

TJ Mickelson scored 11 points and had five assists, Jordan Lynn scored 11 points had seven rebounds and five assists and LaMarr Wood finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.

"It was a very balanced night," Marshall began. "Twenty-three assists on 32 field goals. We were sharing the ball, doing good things. And we guarded. If you hold teams to 66 points you're going to win a lot of games."

After jumping out early on Lake Region and shooting 42 percent from the floor in the first half, the Pioneers were held to just 28 percent in the second. After consecutive 3s by Akeemis Williams and Issac Abergut pulled the Pioneers to within one at 43-42, Lake Region went on an 18-5 run that sealed the win.

Abergut finished with 16 points, Daquazemarr Wyched had 14 points and nine assists and Gedeon Buzangu had 10 points and 13 rebounds for Miles Community College which dropped to 11-14 overall and 3-6 in the MonDak.