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United Tribes Sweeps Bismarck State

Josh Dungan, Bismarck Tribune

Box Score
United Tribes Cayden Redfield, left, intercepts a pass intended for Bismarck State's Kennez Bozeman in the opening moments of their contest at the Armory on Thursday. Darren Gibbins, Bismarck Tribune
United Tribes Cayden Redfield, left, intercepts a pass intended for Bismarck State's Kennez Bozeman in the opening moments of their contest at the Armory on Thursday. Darren Gibbins, Bismarck Tribune
January 26, 2024
Josh Dungan, Bismarck Tribune

 

The United Tribes men's basketball team has been on quite a streak lately.

Bismarck State found out just how hot the Thunderbirds are on Thursday evening at the Armory, as Tribes tied up the season series at a win apiece, 89-78, for their fourth win in a row.

"Tonight came down to us having enough energy and effort on the defensive end of the floor," Thunderbirds head coach Pete Conway said. "We knew (Bismarck State) was a little short-handed tonight, they were only going six deep, so we thought if we could get up with some pressure and make Bismarck State work on every possession, we'd be good."

Four Thunderbirds players entered double figures, led by hot-shooting nights from Houston Davis (26 points, nine rebounds) and Jacolby Pearson (24 points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal) as they pulled away in the second half from their cross-town rivals.

"We can't just rely on one guy, it's been different guys every night on this winning streak," Conway said. "A different group goes on a run or a guy has a big night. Davis is a big body, he always goes and gets the basketball."

The Thunderbirds entered Thursday's matchup having beaten Miles, Dawson and Lake Region State in the span of a week, with their win over Dawson being just the second conference loss of the season for the Buccaneers.

Having taken a 16-point loss to the Mystics earlier in the season, Conway knew his team was in for a fight to earn said fourth win in a row.

"We came out with more effort and enthusiasm (than in that game)," Conway said. "Our guys were playing for each other, playing as a team on the offensive end."

 Bismarck State gave them the exact fight they were looking for. Cued by double-doubles from Hussein Elmaraghy (15 points, 13 rebounds, one assist, one steal) and Kennez Bozeman (23 points, 10 rebounds), the Mystics gave the Thunderbirds everything they could handle.
 
"In the second half we got out to their shooters better," Conway said. "In the first half, (Gavyn) Strand and (Garrett) Bader got some really clean looks, and we emphasized at halftime to not give them clean looks. We did a better job of locating them in the second half."
 
Elmaraghy's presence inside was a big factor for the Mystics success, as it was in the first game between the two teams when he also finished with a 15-point double-double.
 
The Mystics dominated the glass all evening long, grabbing 38 rebounds to the Thunderbirds' 28. That helped keep Bismarck State in the game in the first half when they went through a cold spell of shooting at the rim.

 

"(Elmaraghy) was big for them tonight, we had a tough time guarding him," Conway said. "As much as he was effective offensively, we had to make him work on the defensive end, we wanted to play with pace and get up and down the floor to make him get back on the defensive end."

 It was technical fouls, one on each team, that played critical roles in how the second half played out.

The first tech of the game was handed to Riley Spoonhunter of United Tribes for disagreeing about a no-call on a Bismarck State player making a rebound while out of bounds. Bismarck State's Garrett Bader (15 points, one rebound, two steals) sank both free throws, giving Bismarck its biggest lead of the game at 49-43.

United Tribes battled back and took the lead, with the two teams see-sawing back and forth. It was the second tech of the game, this time on Gavyn Strand of Bismarck State, that turned the game in United Tribes' favor for good.

Making what he felt to be a clean block, Strand disagreed with the personal foul he was assessed enough for the nearest official to 'T' him up and send Davis to the free throw line.

 "Cross-town rivalry, there was a big crowd and emotions ran a little high," Conway said. "We've talked about containing emotions, especially on the road, we have to keep our heads the whole game. We've had some lapses where we haven't done that, and we have to realize that can be costly in a close game like tonight."
 
 Having led by just one at the time of Strand's technical, 61-60, United Tribes would gain the first real bit of separation for either team in the ensuing minutes.

Davis sank four free throws in the span of 15 seconds of game clock, followed by a three by Pearson and a two from Teal Soaring Eagle (16 points, two rebounds, one assist, three steals) and a lay-up by Pearson for a 10-point lead.

"We had a big effort from Teal Soaring Eagle off the bench in the second half," Conway said. "Davis is a tough matchup on the block, and it's nice to have a guy who can knock down free throws. He's been a tough matchup for opposing teams, we've played through him a lot on the block lately and having a guy who can hit 90 percent at the free-throw line always helps."

 
Hot all night from behind the arc, Soaring Eagle and Pearson each nailed threes late in the second half to give the Thunderbirds a pair of 12-point leads, and the Mystics were unable to close the gap from there.

With their conference record now falling to 3-9, the Mystics will try and rebound on Sunday on the road at Miles.

As for the Thunderbirds, they have an important Region matchup on the way on Monday in Dakota College-Bottineau. Having beaten the Lumberjacks once already at the Mon-Dak Tip-off, the winner of Monday's game will have a leg up in the fight for home-field advantage in the Region playoffs.

"That's a big one for us, whoever finishes higher in the standings hosts the region tournament this year," Conway said. "Winning that game would give us a little separation, it's always a big one for us."