DCC Men Pick Up First Conference Win
Bucs win 68-57
The Dawson Community College Men’s Basketball team got their season back on track Monday night at home by beating Dakota College Bottineau 68-57 on Barefoot Coaching Night. The Bucs have had a rough stretch since Christmas losing several close games in route to a 0-4 start in the Mon-Dak. They were determined to turn it around on Monday night, and they did it by playing suffocating defense. The high flying Lumberjacks came in with a 16-4 record and 3-0 start to the conference season. They were averaging 98 points per game for the season, but in the first half the Bucs held them to a season low 17 points. They limited them to 21% shooting from the field and 10% from the 3 point line and also forced 11 turnovers. DCC didn’t look too stellar on offense either, shooting 39% from the field and 20% from the 3 point line, but they took care of the ball and built a 30-17 half-time advantage. They had balanced scoring and a good floor game by Brendon Chevannes who had 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals from the point guard position.
It was Barefoot Coaching Night at DCC. The coaches from all four teams went barefooted to help raise awareness of the millions of people throughout the world who don’t have proper footwear. Close to 100 pairs of shoes were donated and will be distributed by Samaritan’s Feet within the Mon-Dak region. Over $500 was raised to help buy soccer cleats and educate girls in rural Kenya through the Suba Lakers Football Club.
Seeing their coach in bare feet, must have inspired the home team because the Bucs managed to hold the lead for the entire second half by dominating the boards in the final half 29-16 against a bigger and more athletic team. Their biggest lead was by 16 points at 47-31. Bottineau chipped away at the lead by forcing turnovers in their full-court pressure. Their shooting picked up a little, going for 35% in the 2nd half, but it wasn’t enough to get within striking range. Abdul Hakim Fofana came into the game averaging 20 points and 17 rebounds a game in conference. In his last game against Williston, he had 24 points and 22 rebounds, but the Bucs held him to 11 points (on 3-9 shooting) and 3 rebounds. The Lumberjacks leading scorer had put up 45 points and 31 points in his last two outings, and the Bucs limited him to 18 points on 7 of 22 shooting.
For DCC, Stefan Stubbs posted another double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds. He shot 7 of 12 from the field and 9 of 11 from the free throw line. Brent Finn added 13 points and Gavin McPherson had 12 points and 7 rebounds. Seven of the eight Bucs who played collected 4 or more rebounds. The Buccaneers’ bench outscored Bottineau 21-5.
DCC Coach Peterson praised his team’s effort on defense, “We made a real good offensive team look pretty bad tonight. It’s not often you hold a team who averages close to 100 ppg to 17 points in a half and 57 for the game. Our offense came and went a little, but our defense in the first half and our rebounding in the second half kept the game in control throughout. I was proud of our guys. They work very hard, have a good attitude and believe in each other, even during the losing streak. I haven’t seen a team in our conference who we can’t beat or shouldn’t beat if we play well.”
Dakota College Bottineau drops to 16-5 overall and 3-1 in conference while the Bucs move to 10-12 overall and 1-3 in conference. The Bucs will be off until next Monday when they take on Bismarck State at home.
