Last night's game had some exciting moments from both teams as the Lumberjacks defended their home court by defeating Turtle Mountain CC 95-84. With the return of Jayden McMillan into the lineup it appeared WE might pull away from the Mikinocks with a 13-point lead at half. The largest lead would be 20-points on the night, but Turtle Mountain did a great job of hanging around and providing a good basketball game to be a spectator. It was good for our guys to get back in the W column after a tough stretch recently, but the relief will short lived as we travel to Williston State College who is 19-7 tonight.
Lately we have had trouble getting the ball in the basket and it hasn't always been because the defense is so great, but rather individual confidence isn't always as high as it should be. Last night it seemed we found some of that confidence by shooting 49% from the field, 46% from the arc, and 82% from the FT line. As mentioned before, basketball is a game of made and missed baskets, as long as you knock down open shot and make easy baskets majority of the time you will have a chance to win. Defensively we were more aggressive out of traps by creating 10 steals, and 18 turnovers but had to many lapses of "lazy" possessions due to the score. Against the top tier teams there is never a possession where OUR TEAM can do anything but give maximum effort.
Statistical Highlights:
Kristoff Walker - 34 points, 5 assists, 2 steals
"Over the course of the last two weeks Kristoff has played at an extremely high level. His ability to attack the rim, create his own shot, and distribute the basketball has been impressive as a coach. As coaches we can always be critical but he has done a superb job of improving down the stretch."
Jayden McMillan - 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals
"It was great to see #20 in the lineup again. Jayden appeared to bring another level of confidence to our guys as well, and I do believe those 19 points were the quietest of his career. Hopefully he had a chance to get his legs back underneath of him, and find a little rhythm."
Tyler Storseth - 17 points, 4/10 from 3FG
"Whenever Tyler knocks down perimeter shots, we seem to play inspired basketball. He allowed us to separate early and is always a threat to go on a run. Outside of hitting shots, Tyler does a good job of playing physical defense and rebounding."
WE had a great crowd last night, and WE appreciate the support. Next Thursday Bismarck State will be traveling to "The Woodshed". It will be Terry Charnholm's appreciation game as well as "Pink Night" so get to the game and BE LOUD!
Let's Get JACKED UP,
Coach Fehringer
