Bench crew gives BSC big lift in win over United Tribes

SCOOTER PURSLEY Bismarck Tribune

Box Score

Team Stats

DK Middleton of United Tribes, right, is guarded by Jaden Mitzel of Bismarck State College during Thursday night's game at the Armory. TOM STROMME, Tribune
DK Middleton of United Tribes, right, is guarded by Jaden Mitzel of Bismarck State College during Thursday night's game at the Armory. TOM STROMME, Tribune
January 25, 2022

The United Tribes Technical College Thunderbirds ran wild at the start of Thursday's MonDak Conference men's basketball game at Bismarck State College. But it was the Mystics literally running away at the end on their way to a 108-92 win at the Armory.

Deonte Martinez came off the bench to lead the Mystics in scoring (24 points), rebounds (7), assists (6) and steals (4). Jaden Hamilton came off the bench to score 14 points -- all in the first half. The BSC bench outscored the Thunderbirds' bench 50-13.

The Mystics trailed 19-8 and had given up six fast-break layups when coach Jim Jeske turned to his bench to get a defensive spark. He got a whole lot more than that when they rallied the team offensively as well.

 "We just had to limit turnovers and play our game," said Martinez, who hit 9 of 13 shots from the field. "They came out on a roll and sometimes you just have to slow the pace of the game down so you can get into things."
 
The second of Hamilton's four 3-pointers with 12:16 left in the first half gave the Mystics their first lead. By the time the starters returned to the floor, BSC led 36-30 and never trailed again.

But instead of slowing things down to a more typical pace (the Mystics average 81 points), BSC beat the Thunderbirds at their own game. The Mystics finished the game on a 17-5 run against the conference's top offensive team (96 points per game).

"We make a lot of shots in practice but it just hasn't carried over with a bunch of guys making shots in a game," BSC coach Jim Jeske said. "(Hamilton) coming off the bench and doing what he did in the first half was just a huge boost to all of us."

United Tribes forced five turnovers and hit nine of its first 11 shots from the field. Six were breakaway layups, including two that followed made baskets by BSC. DK Middleton (27 points), Tahj Two Bulls (15) and Famous Lefthand (18) led the early charge. The Mystics needed an answer.

"It was the guys wanting to be engaged in the defense, and getting matched up with their guys," Jeske said. "We just didn't do that at all. Going into halftime we just thought we had to make them make tougher shots."

 They actually started making things tougher when Martinez, Hamilton and crew hit the floor. A 15-0 run gave the Mystics the lead. Hamilton scored all 14 of his points in a stretch of five minutes as BSC stretched the lead to nine points.

Middleton rallied the United Tribes with 10 straight points, but Garrick Baines (17 points) and Martinez combined for 12 of the last 14 points of the half to give the Mystics a 55-46 lead at the break.

Alex Huber's layup with 18:42 to play gave the Mystics a 15-point lead. It was still 14 points when Lefthand sliced it in half with three straight baskets.

The Thunderbirds chipped away at the lead and with 8:20 to play, Charles Schrader hit his only basket of the game, a 3-pointer that tied the game at 83. That was it, however, as BSC scored the next eight points.

United Tribes closed to within four points but was held without a basket in the last 4:03 of the game.

Jeske commended his team for its balanced scoring. Latrel Davis had 13 points and Seth Nelson 12 as five players reached double figures.

 Sylvester Union had 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Thunderbirds.