Dawson Bucs Survive Scare on the Road

The Dawson Buccaneers picked up another hard fought road victory on Wednesday night in Devils Lake,
North Dakota. The Bucs beat Lake Region 91-85 behind strong bench play and forcing 22 turnovers
while only turning it over 8 times themselves. It was Dawson's ninth straight win and improved them to
18-4 overall and 12-1 in conference games.

"I think we played hard and competed, but our defense has to get a lot better," explained Dawson
Coach Joe Peterson. "We gave up too many lay-ups and fouled too much because we were out of
position and not smart with our footwork and closeouts. We also have to rebound better than we did
tonight if we want to be a good team."

Lake Region started the game strong and grabbed an early 12-5 lead. There were nine lead changes in
the first half. Joe Mpoyo connected from long range at the end of the half to give Dawson a 40-37
advantage heading into the locker room. It was his only 3-pointer of the game. The Royals shot 50%
from the field and 45% from the arc in the first half, but turned it over 13 times. Ja'vion Byers led the
Royals with 13 points on 5-7 shooting. Chris Davidson led Dawson with 11 points.

Byers continued to score in the second half for the home team while Damon Gros Ventre got hot for the
visitors. Dawson kept the lead for most of the final twenty minutes, but Lake Region tied it up four
different times. The Bucs built a nine point lead at 60-51, though they couldn't put away the pesky
Royals. Byers poured in 18 second half points, and Gros Ventre scored 21 points on 5 3-pointers.
Byers finished with a game high 31 points to lead five Royals in double figures. Gros Ventre finished
with 24 for Dawson to lead four guys in double figures. Aleksis Nika added 11 points and 7 rebounds.
Point Guards Aidan Fishell (12) and Ty Buckmon (7) combined for 19 assists and only 1 turnover for the
Bucs. Dawson's bench outscored Lake Region 54-3, but the Royals dominated the glass 46-28.

Lake Region falls to 3-20 overall and 2-12 in conference.

Dawson will play again on the road Thursday night at Bismarck State College.