The Dawson Buccaneers won their 10th in a row and improved their conference record to 9-0 with a 106-100 win over the visiting North Dakota State College Wildcats. NDSCS came into the contest a game behind Dawson, but with the loss they drop to 7-2 in conference and 20-4 overall. Dawson now has a two game lead with five games remaining. The regular season winner will host the post-season Region XIII tournament February 27-29.
Duoth Gach made a 3-pointer in the opening minute of the game and kept hitting all night long for the visiting Wildcats, finishing the game with nine 3 pointers. He came into the game needing 11 to break the school’s all-time record. He made his 9th with ten minutes remaining and the Bucs didn’t allow him to make another the rest of the way.
The first half was a tight affair with 9 ties and 9 lead changes. The largest lead for either team was four points until the final minutes. With the score tied, Dawson closed out the final three minutes of the first half with a 14-6 run on the shoulders of three Camron Dunfee 3-pointers to go up 53-45 at intermission. Dunfee and Gach both connected on five 3-pointers in the opening half.
In the second half, NDSCS made their run at the 17:00 minute mark, outscoring the Bucs 10-0 to take the lead 64-54. They connected on several free throws in that stretch and the run was capped with another Gach 3-pointer. There were ten more lead changes after that as the teams exchanged blow for blow. Down by four, Dawson closed out the game’s final five minutes with a 16-6 run to garner the come from behind win and tighten their grip on first place in the Mon-Dak Conference.
DCC Coach Joe Peterson shared his perspective, “What a great college basketball game this was! It was fun to coach in, fun to play in and I’m sure it was pretty fun to watch as well. Last time we played them it was a defensive slugfest, but this time around the offenses were really clicking. Our guys have such a strong belief in themselves and always feel like they are going to win, no matter the circumstances. With our depth, togetherness and effort, we play a full forty minutes. We’ve been taking other teams’ best shots over the past few games, but still manage to make the plays necessary to come out on the winning side.”
Camron Dunfee led Dawson with 32 points on 12-16 shooting from the field and 6-9 from the 3-point line. CJ Nelson added 21 points. Man Man Baker had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Devin Collins chipped in with 13 points and 8 rebounds.
Duoth Gach led NDSCS with 33 points on 9-13 shooting from the 3 point line.
The Bucs are now 20-6 on the year and will travel to Lake Region State College for a Sunday afternoon matchup before returning home next Thursday for a showdown with Williston State College.
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