Devils Lake boys basketball looking to repeat as state champions
Mar. 19—GRAND FORKS — Devils Lake boys basketball knocked off Kindred last year to win its first state championship in 99 years.
The goal this season, since Day 1 of practice, has been to repeat as state champions.
"Taking each day and getting better every single day," coach Dustin Brodina said, "and adding those building blocks to our goal of reaching the top."
The No. 2-seeded Firebirds' search for a second-straight state title starts at 1 p.m. Thursday against Des Lacs-Burlington in the first round of the Division A boys basketball state tournament at the Bismarck Event Center.
"Our preparation and our practices pretty much stay the same," Brodina said. "We focus on fundamentals, teamwork and competitive greatness as staples for every practice. We have many seniors in this group, and they're focused every day on the task at hand."
Devils Lake has lost one game this season — to No. 1 seed Kindred. The game, played at Kindred, ended with a score of 52-47.
The Firebirds, entering the state tournament with a 22-1 record, rolled over Thompson 70-41 last week to win the Region 2A title.
After the game, Brodina was named the region's coach of the year. His son, senior Parker Brodina, was named the region senior athlete of the year.
Mason Palmer, Oliver Wirth and Joel Nelson were also named all-region players.
"They've been solid for us all year in the offensive and defensive ends," Dustin Brodina said. "Trason Beck rounds out our starting five, and is also solid defensively. We make defense a priority in everything we do. Positioning and effort are a couple big things we stress each day and all those guys do a great job of that."
The Firebirds' goal is to hold opponents to 40 points per game.
Opponents are averaging 46 points per game against Devils Lake this season.
On the offensive end, the Firebirds are scoring 73 points per game, led by Parker Brodina's 16.8 points per game. He also leads the Firebirds with 5.5 rebounds per game.
Palmer averages 15 points a game, and Wirth adds 12.4 points per game. Nelson averages 11.6 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game.
Devils Lake, despite a successful year and a No. 2 seed, isn't overlooking No. 7 Des Lacs-Burlington.
"They're an extremely disciplined team that doesn't make mistakes at all," Dustin Brodina said. "Watching film, they play very hard and their defense is solid. For us to be competitive with them, we will need to focus on the defensive end, keep them away from the basket, rebound and hopefully get some easy baskets in transition."
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