RED LAKE COMES BACK TO DEFEAT MAHNOMEN/WAUBUN IN SECTION SEMI’S 84-79

The Red Lake Warriors bounced back in the second half to defeat the Mahnomen/Waubun Thunderbirds, 84-79 in the Section 8A Boys Basketball tournament Semi-finals/West Sub-Section championship at the Ralph Englestad Arena in Thief River Falls.

FIRST HALF –
Mahnomen/Waubun got off to a great start as Bradan Melina got an and one for the Thunderbirds to give them an early 9-2 lead. Brody Lhotka for the Thunderbirds knocked down a three to make it 12-4. Jack Brown answered that three for Red Lake as he made it 12-7 with Mahnomen/Waubun still in the lead. Anthony Thompson got a steal for the Thunderbirds and took the ball coast to coast as he got an easy lay-in to make it 15-7. Thompson then buried a three to make it 18-9. Carter Clark then hit a three for Mahnomen/Waubun, making it 21-11. Lhotka drew a foul to get an and one for the Thunderbirds, and he converted on the free throw to make it 24-11. Gerald Kingbird Jr. knocked down a three for Red Lake to make it 28-14, with Mahnomen/Waubun still in the lead. Later in the half, Michael Weaver for Mahnomen/Waubun got a layup to fall for the Thunderbirds to make it 39-26. Brown hit another three with just under two minutes left in the half to make it 43-31 with Mahnomen/Waubun still in the lead. The three put Brown over 1,000 career points. Melina hit a baseline jumper for the Thunderbirds to give them a 45-35 lead. 

SECOND HALF –
Lhotka opened up the half by drawing a foul and getting the basket to fall while converting the free throw to make it 48-35 with the Thunderbirds leading. Chilton flipped the ball up and in to make it 52-40. Brown responded with a pair of two-point field goals to make it 52-44 with Mahnomen/Waubun in the lead. Clark got another basket plus the foul to make it 55-46 with the Thunderbirds in the lead. On back-to-back possessions, Thompson got steals and layups on the other end to bring the Thunderbird’s lead up to 61-46. Kingbird Jr. hit a three while getting fouled but didn’t make the free throw, which made it 61-51. Clark got another and one for the Thunderbirds to make it 64-51. Kingbird Jr. got the ball on a fastbreak and got a dunk while fouled, but Red Lake still trailed by 11, 67-56. Brown and Kingbird Jr. each hit a three to bring the Thunderbirds lead down to just 71-67. Clark used a pair of post moves down low to make it a 75-73 game with Mahnomen/Waubun on top. Kingbird Jr. tied it with a layup before he got an and one to give Red Lake a 78-77 lead. Tyrone Beaulieau Jr. got a steal for Red Lake and finished at the other end for Red Lake to give them an 80-77 lead with under a minute left. Red Lake hit a few free throws late to give them an 84-79 win. 

Mahnomen/Waubun’s season comes to an end with an 11-18 record. Red Lake improves to 23-7 on the year and will take on Fertile-Beltrami in the Section 8A Championship Game on Friday. 

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