Huskies Howl on the Road: Wahpeton Stuns No. 1 Devils Lake

Devils Lake is never an easy place to play, but the Huskies didn't buy into that on Saturday evening. No. 5 Wahpeton went on the road (216 miles) and came away with an impressive win over top-ranked Devils Lake, delivering a statement performance in one of the toughest environments in Class A. This matchup featured two well-coached, high-level squads, and it looked every bit like a March preview. Coach Jeff Ralph has the Huskies howling right now, playing with confidence, edge, tough defense, and togetherness, and it showed in a big way on the road. Both teams sit firmly among the elite in Class AA and expect to be in the State Tournament conversation all season long. See below for a breakdown of the game, including the score, stats, and player notes.   Devils Lake came out sharp, jumping to an early 7–2 lead, but Wahpeton responded quickly and never backed down. The Huskies answered with scores of their own, trimming it to 7–6 midway through the first quarter before [player_tooltip player_id='2839991' first='Cooper' last='Koolmo'] finished at the rim to give Wahpeton its first lead at 8–7. From there, the game took on a physical, high-energy feel, with both teams flying around, hustling for loose balls, and playing aggressive on both ends. A deep three from [player_tooltip player_id='1798696' first='Brayden' last='Steffens'] helped Wahpeton stretch the lead, and although Devils Lake cut it to six late in the quarter, the Huskies carried that same margin into the second.   Wahpeton turned up the defensive pressure in the second quarter, forcing turnovers and converting them into easy points. The big stretch came behind sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2237730' first='Aiden' last='Bontjes'], who caught fire with 13 points and three triples, pushing the Huskies' lead to as many as 15. Devils Lake finally stopped the bleeding with a [player_tooltip player_id='2415382' first='Ben' last='Brodina'] three late in the half, but Wahpeton still went into the break firmly in control, leading 35–20.   The Firebirds showed some fight to open the second half, with [player_tooltip player_id='1539673' first='Talan' last='Gregory'] knocking down a smooth triple from the top of the key. Devils Lake chipped away throughout the third quarter, trading baskets and slowly trimming the deficit. Gregory's third three of the game cut the lead to single digits, and late in the quarter the Firebirds made another push to get it down to five. Wahpeton responded with a key hustle play in transition from Koolmo and [player_tooltip player_id='3287777' first='Rylan' last='Flack'] to close the quarter and take a seven-point advantage into the fourth.   From there, the Huskies locked in defensively and closed the door. Wahpeton held Devils Lake to just four points in the final quarter and finished the game on a 10–4 run. The Firebirds were held scoreless over the final 6:32, as the Huskies earned an impressive 13-point road victory in a tough environment. A win like this can make a 3-hour bus trip go by quickly!   SCORES   1st: Wahpeton 16 Devils Lake 10   Half: Wahpeton 35 Devils Lake 20   3rd: Wahpeton 49 Devils Lake 42   Final: Wahpeton 59 Devils Lake 46   STATS   FT's: Wahpeton 2/6 Devils Lake 6/11   2FG's: Wahpeton 5 Devils Lake 8   3FG's: Wahpeton 20 Devils Lake 8   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PlayerNotes.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PlayerNotes.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-2302277" style="width:297px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   Wahpeton    -15 points, 3 triples   -Lanky & think   -Lefty block score, easy lay-in, Gilby with the dime   -13 points in the 2nd quarter   -Right wing triple, catch & shoot, King w/ the assist   -Back-to-back triples, this one from the left corner, King with the assist   -Drive down the middle of the paint, soft shut up & over the rim for 2   -Another triple, this one from the left wing & beyond college range   -Downhill slash & score in the 3rd, nice take, contested finish     -15 points, 1 triple   -Does not look or play like a soph   -Lefty drive across the paint, southpaw finger-roll, came off the bench, first thing he did was rip it & score at the rack   -On-ball pressure, active hands forced a TO   -Mid-paint slash, diagonal dime to Bontjes on the left block, great find   -Right wing triple in the 2nd Q, space & shoot in transition   -Sick step-through move, kiss off the window for a nice bucket   -Nice hustle up court after a steal, Steffens dropped the dime, Gilby finished   -Impressive middle drive in the 3rd, turned the corner, smooth lay-in for 2   -Extra pass assist to Koolmo for a middy J   -Deep lefty drive, pivot, step-through, shooters touch roll for 2-points   -Contested & altered a shot in the 4th, forced the miss   -High-powered drive late 4th, dish assist to King for a bucket   -Scored the last bucket of the game with 32.9 on the block, shot pull-up J, under control, but also an athletic drive & score     -12 points, 1/4 FT's, 1 triple   -Beautiful middy pull-up J   -Moves his feet well, good on-ball D, moves feet well   -Loose ball steal, easy breakaway score   -Posted up mid-lane line, fall away J with a tough defender in his face, still swished it   -Swished a left wing 3 from beyond college range, defense gave him too much space   -Loose ball steal around halfcourt   -Run-out transition score, King with the assist   -Offensive board, fouled on putback   -Transition push, draw hep, kickout assist to Gilby for a 3   -Shot technical foul FT in 2nd, hit 1/2   -Drive & kick to Bontjes for a triple, feeding the hot hand   -Help-D steal, good work reading eyes   -Unselfish dish to Gilby for an easy bucket   -Sneaky score at the rim, somehow maneuvered around Brodina for a lay-in     -8 points   -First Huskie bucket, mid-paint floater over the front of the iron   -Smart play saving ball from going OOB, threw it off a Firebird   -Fast-paced AND1 score in the first quarter   -3rd quarter middy-J, not a bad looking shot   -Fast-paced score after a DL bucket, great answer, got to the rim in a hurry   -Smart transition pass late 3rd with the clock running out, found Flack for a bucket     -5 points, 1/1 FT   -Corner to wing assist, found Steffens for a triple   -O-board in traffic, AND1 putback bucket, hit FT for a 3pt play   -Plays HARD   -O-board in traffic to start 2ndQ, fell down but still completed the pass   -Unselfish with the ball, moves it & finds the open man   -Impressive hustle to end the 3rd, run-out, catch & score before buzzer sounded     -4 points   -Long O-board early in the 1st, good read off the rim   -Impressive hard hedge, forced a TO   -Passed ahead assist to Steffens for a transition score   -Tipped pass on the next possession, forced another TO   -More impressive hustle, dove on the floor for a loose ball & forced a jump   -Swing pass assist to Bontjes on the right wing   -Another assist to Bontjes for a 3ball   -Dive on the floor again, crazy hustle   -Soft touch baseline score, good balance, not affected by contact   -Catch & score late 4th, assist got to Gilby     -Provides some nice length for the Huskies   -Loose ball steal, quick outlet after   -Runs the floor well   -Used his long arms to contest & force a miss at the hoop    Devils Lake    -12 points, 1/1 FT's, 3 triples   -Catch & shoot triple from the left wing in 2ndQ, nice looking shot   -Three-pointer from the top of the key to start 2nd half, fluid & soft shot   -Rack attack, AND1 finish in the 3rd, plus the FT for a 3-point play   -Spot-up triple in the 3rdQ, nice work finding a window to get the ball, the more I see him shoot, the more I like his shot     -9 points, 1/2 FT's, 2 triples   -Aggressive, pesky, persistent on-ball defense   -Coast to coast score to start the game, fast in transition, nice length also   -Floater score over the front of the rim for the first points   -I like the looks of his crossover move, good twitch & covers ground   -Swing assist to Fee for a triple   -Deep paint drive, bounce pass dime to Fee for a score   -Drilled a right corner triple in the 2ndQ when DL really needed a score   -BLOB assist   -Shake & bake slash in 3rd, got to the hoop for an L-layup, fouled, 1/2 FT's   -Baseline drive, draw help, sweet little bounce pass to Fee for a score     -9 points, 1 triple   -Diagonal drive across the paint, nice hesi move, score on the right block   -Catch & shoot triple from the left wing in the 1st Q   -Well put together, strong/thick   -Point blank score for the left block, sweet dime from Brodina   -Inside-out pass to Brodina for a triple   -Inside-out assist to Gregory from a 3 to start 2nd half   -O-board, good anticipation   -Catch & score on the block early 4th, Brodina with the dime   -Tough O-board in the 4th, IDK how he got that one sandwiched in between two Huskies     -8 points, 4/4 FT's   -Showed a dirty crossover, blew by the defense   -Sharp assist to Egan at the end of the 1st from a triple   -Attack down broadway, fouled going up, 2/2 from charity stripe   -Corner kick assist to Gregory for a triple   -Multiple O-boards on a single possession   -BLOB score, faked the DHO, fooled the D, baseline drive & score   -Another nice assist, diagonal kickout to Gregory for a trey in the 3rd   -Picked off a pass, went coast-to-coast, fast-paced score, great series   -Fouled early in the 4th, stepped up to the charity stripe & confidently cashed both     -5 points, 1 triple   -Knocked down a triple from the left wing, soft touch   -Very impressive slash in the 3rd, shot fake, drive, split 2 defender, jump stop, smooth score at the cup   -Bob & weave drive late in the 3rd, showed some shiftiness   -Excellent anticipation & reactions to block a shot in the 4th     -3 points, 1 triple   -Impressive hustle to track down a long O-board late 1stQ   -Cashed a triple from the top of the key, late 1stQ, has a high release on his J    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/NorthDakota.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/NorthDakota.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-1126976" /></a></figure>

Devils Lake is never an easy place to play, but the Huskies didn't buy into that on Saturday evening. No. 5 Wahpeton went on the road (216 miles) and came away with an impressive win over top-ranked Devils Lake, delivering a statement performance in one of the toughest environments in Class A. This matchup featured two well-coached, high-level squads, and it looked every bit like a March preview. Coach Jeff Ralph has the Huskies howling right now, playing with confidence, edge, tough defense, and togetherness, and it showed in a big way on the road. Both teams sit firmly among the elite in Class AA and expect to be in the State Tournament conversation all season long. See below for a breakdown of the game, including the score, stats, and player notes.