(Editor's note: DCC Athletics release)
GLENDIVE - The Dawson Community College men's basketball squad moved to 4-1 on the young season with a high scoring road win over Dakota College Bottineau.
DCC raced out to a 53-29 lead at halftime bolstered by 17 second chance points and by forcing 12 turnovers. The second half started the same way with Dawson increasing their lead to 30 points three minutes in, but the home team found life by connecting from long range. The Lumberjacks eventually closed the deficit to single digits before the Bucs ended on a high note and secured a 106-82 win. DCB played their visitors even in the second half 53-53.
“I was disappointed that we let up defensively in the second half,” commented Dawson Coach Joe Peterson. “It’s not easy when you get up by a large margin to keep up the intensity, but that’s what the best teams do. Hopefully we learned a good lesson tonight that will help us down the road. My hat is off to Bottineau. They really played hard and kept fighting until the final minute.”
Six Dawson players reached double figures and ten players scored at least five points. Dawson was led by Jalen Tot’s 12 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. Deron McDonald led Dakota College with 22 points.
Dawson returns home on Saturday at noon to host Lake Region State College. Both teams are tied for second place in the conference with a record of 3-1.
Meantime, in their first conference road trip in Bottineau, ND, the Lady Buccaneers found themselves in defeat losing to Dakota College 65-67. There were 11 lead changes and 6 ties in the game.
The Lady Jacks came out on fire with the 3 point shooting of Maria Moore (5-11) in the first half and she ultimately finished with a game high of 23 points. Jacie Hall and Sabra Peterson each contributed 13 points apiece.
“It was a great win for them,” said Dawson Coach Romeo Lagmay, Jr. “They held their composure, and made some big plays. They deserved that game! We fought hard as usual, but we let up on some defensive plays in the beginning and it caught up to us in the end. Our players are still learning how important communication is, and we still have a few key players out with injuries. We’re still good without them, but it makes a difference in a barn burner like this one.”
Dawson’s Eva Kingston also shared a game high of 23 points, along with 12 rebounds. Samantha Jenkins poured in 12 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and collected 4 steals. Hailee Brandon added 11 points, 4 rebounds and a game high 6 steals.
The Buccaneers will play on the road again in Miles City on Monday at 5:30 p.m.
