Royals overcome struggles in final minutes to beat United Tribes

Article by Sam Herder, Devils Lake Journal Sports, published Jan. 21, 2016.

The Devils Lake Sports Center is often referred to as a shooter's gym. On any given night, any player or team can go off shooting the basketball.

While the United Tribes Technical College men's basketball team finished with a modest 40 percent shooting from 3-point range, there was a spurt midway through the second half where the Thunderbirds couldn't miss.

It looked to be one of those games for Lake Region State College, but it found another gear in the closing minutes, erasing a 9-point deficit to win a 100-95 Mon-Dak Conference battle.

LRSC improves to 17-5 overall and 2-2 in conference play.

"It's another tought night in the Mon-Dak," Royals head coach Jared Marshall said. "At this point in time, no one is unscathed in this conference and it's going to be a battle every night. We may not have shown up for the first 35 minutes, but the last five minutes we were there and got the job done."

The first 35 minutes saw the 6-man roster of United Tribes take it to LRSC. The Royals held a 39-32 at one point in the first half, but again had some defensive issues.

Those issues began to stack up in the second half. The Thunderbirds weren't shy about shooting the deep ball, with 35 3-pointers shot. 

They began to fall in rapid fire midway through the second half as the Royals struggled to slow United Tribes down. 

The Thunderbirds held a lead of 73-64 and kept an 86-79 cushion with five minutes and change to play.

LRSC, on the brink of going 1-3 in conference play, came alive thanks in large part to sophomores AJ Nywesh and Tom Kubank.

It was Kubank who hit a jumper with three minutes, 17 seconds left to give the Royals an 89-88 lead. Then it was Nywesh who took over the game like a man possessed. 

Nywesh finished with 30 points while Kubank added 28 and grabbed 10 rebounds.

"Our energy was different," Marshall said. "Our guys were getting fired up and were happy for each other's success. That's what I love about this team. Yeah, AJ had 30 tonight, but he's fired up when Tom hits a big three. When AJ hits big shots, the bench is involved. I think that shows we're a team. Guys care about each other and that makes a difference."

After United Tribes retook the lead at 90-89, Nywesh went off for eight straight points, including two 3-pointers, in the next minute of play.

"To be honest, my teammates gave me the confidence to take that role and I've accepted it," Nywesh said. "I've got to give thanks to them."

One more 3-pointer from the Thunderbirds tied it at 95 with a minute to go. Nywesh then responded with the go-ahead jumper to take the lead. LRSC forced a turnover on the next possession and three free throws from Kubank and Dawson Peterson sealed it at 100-95.

Nywesh, one of the top scorers in NJCAA Division I, added to his 21.1 points per game.

"It's super nice to have a guy like that who can just go on spurts and can get you 8-9 points in a minute," Marshall said on Nywesh. "It's not a flashy thing with him, too. Guys aren't mad about his shots. It's genuinely him stepping up and saying 'I got this'. He's been doing it all year."

In all, the Royals scored 23 points in the final six minutes.

"I think it's just how close we are," Nywesh said. "Together, the way we are as a unit, we came together and said 'come on guys, let's get it together.' We fought for each other and we came out with a win."