Lake Region State fails to quell first-half deficit against Wildcats, falls 69-57

DEVILS LAKE - The Lake Region State Royals were reeling off a high-octane stretch to begin the 2022 calendar year.

A three-game winning streak dating back to Jan. 9, coupled with an offense clicking on almost all cylinders, emphasized this fact almost to a tee. Heading into their Jan. 19 bout against the cream of the Mon-Dak Conference crop in the North Dakota State College of Science Wildcats, the Royals were averaging 89 points per game (PPG) during their three-game winning streak.

While Anthony Davis and Clarence Daniels looked to give the Royals enough of a jolt to usurp the road opponent, the Wildcats proved their top-flight Mon-Dak status with their 69-57 win over the Royals at Devils Lake Sportscenter Wednesday evening.

The loss snaps Lake Region State’s (13-7, 8-4) three-game winning streak. The Royals are now 0-2 against the Wildcats this season (the Royals lost on the road to the Wildcats, 74-69, on Nov. 6).

A quick-paced opening to the first half swiftly bogged down for the Royals as they eventually fell into a double-digit deficit with less than two minutes to go. Although the Royals attempted to respond with a slew of wing and corner shots, they could not buy a bucket. Meanwhile, the Wildcats, led by JaQuan Sanders-Smith, continued to find the basket with their scoring chances. Sanders-Smith finished the game with a team-high 30 points.

Defensively, Lake Region State showed pores - over their three-game winning stretch dating back to Jan. 9, Lake Region State's opponents averaged 76 PPG.

However, the second half against the Wildcats began to reveal the team’s collective pressure starting at the mid-court. While the Wildcats continued to find shots – they tallied a 45.5 Field Goal Percentage (FG%) in the second half compared to their 45.2 FG% in the first half – the pressure proved to keep the Wildcats on more of an even keel in the transition department.

“We pride ourselves in our defense, and really, that is something we harp on in practice every day and work on every day, and that is something we have to do to be a successful team,” Lake Region State head coach Jared Marshall said after the game. “A lot of high-scoring teams in this league...that team [North Dakota State College of Science] averages 96 points a game…we played [United] Tribes, they are 94 points a game. So, that is kind of the defensive intensity we have to have to succeed. Sometimes, our offense can struggle a little bit, and if we can have energy and intensity on defense, we will be good.”

Lake Region State’s approach in finding baskets via the seams paid dividends during the second half as the team collectively shot 42.4% from the floor (14/33). The Royal pair in Davis and Daniels led the bulk of the offensive drives as they combined to score 39 points during the game (20 and 19 points, respectively).

A 17-point lead to close the first half might have been adequate against other teams, but for the Wildcats, it was anything but a guarantee.

The Royals proved this notion during the second half as they trimmed the deficit down to seven points with less than 10 minutes to go. The Wildcats, however, were able to lean on their cushion just enough to pull away with the double-digit win. The Wildcats remain atop the Mon-Dak table with the win (20-1, 11-1).

Having a short-staffed roster for the majority of the season was nothing new to Lake Region State, and their Jan. 19 game against the Wildcats was no different. D’Sean Larkins, James Sommer and Noah Fredrickson all sat out the game.

Even still, grit helped net the Royals a competitive finish, despite the defeat. With this grit, Marshall and his team will look to harness it for the better as the season continues onward.

“I think I have seen a lot of resiliency from this team,” Marshall said. “We have been missing two to three guys every game. We haven’t had more than eight guys in practice since the start of the year. So, that has been challenging for us to improve and get better every day when you only have eight guys, and I think we have started a different lineup in all four games. It is tough to get into a groove like that as a team and as a squad, but we have had guys step up and come through in big games.”

Contact John Crane via email (jcrane@gannett.com) or Twitter @johncranesports)

This article originally appeared on Devils Lake Journal: Lake Region State fails to quell first-half deficit against Wildcats