CASS LAKE 鈥� The Red Lake boys basketball team looked determined to end its losing streak against Cass Lake-Bena on Friday night.
The Warriors stormed into Cass Lake and gave the Panthers all they could handle early on, even taking a halftime lead of 32-31. But CLB came out focused in the second half, forcing turnovers that led to bountiful easy baskets and secured an 88-70 win going away.
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The Panthers鈥� victory extended their streak of consecutive wins over Red Lake that dates back to Feb. 11, 2020.
鈥淚t's always a good rivalry,鈥� said CLB guard Dominic Fairbanks, who played varsity as an eighth-grader during the 2019-20 season, the last time Red Lake won. 鈥淣o matter how good they are, how good we are, fans show up and it's fun. I love it. You're in a timeout, you can hear in the background both (fan bases) going back and forth (with) Cass Lake, Red Lake chants. It鈥檚 just a great atmosphere to play in.鈥�
Fairbanks is a senior now, and his leadership was key to steering the Panthers on course in the second half. As Cass Lake-Bena settled down and started to build a lead, Fairbanks connected on three jumpers in a short span, pushing the Panthers鈥� advantage to 69-49. The outcome was never in doubt the rest of the way.
鈥淗e鈥檚 special,鈥� said CLB head coach John Wind of Fairbanks. 鈥淗e鈥檚 nice to have. He's kind of like the coach on the court. There's a couple times you have to get after him and stuff, because he's a kid just like everyone else. (But) it's nice to have him (out there).鈥�
Fairbanks received plenty of help from his teammates, including a stellar 29-point performance from starting backcourt mate Kingsley Whitebird. The Panthers also picked up 20 points from forward Tateyn Boswell.
For the Warriors, senior guard Gerald Kingbird Jr. led the way with 21 points. While Red Lake put an earnest scare into Cass Lake-Bena early on, CLB was capable of relying on its depth to salt the game away down the stretch.
鈥淲e just had jitters in the first half,鈥� Fairbanks said. 鈥�(We have) a lot of new people in the lineup this year and playing in front of big crowds for their first time. But in the second half, we settled down, stayed composed and got the job done. They're starting to get settled in and more experienced, so they were able to do more stuff. We were just pushing the ball, and everyone was able to score.鈥�
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Red Lake had started the season 3-0 with hopes of reversing the recent rivalry trend. The Warriors will host the Panthers (2-2) in Red Lake on Feb. 1, so they鈥檒l get another shot at home to break the streak.
But on Friday night, CLB鈥檚 pedigree and poise shined through, and the Panthers were the team on the victorious side once again. After enduring two atypical losses to start the year and managing some early-season ailments, Cass Lake-Bena may be starting to find its winning stride.
鈥淭hey know we鈥檝e got to play team basketball,鈥� Wind said. 鈥淚f we don't play team basketball, we're just not good. So I think in the long run, these guys that are out right now with injuries, when they come back, they're going to come back to a team that (is) all playing together. We're playing team basketball and we're playing defense.鈥�
Cass Lake-Bena 88, Red Lake 70
RL 32 38 鈥� 70
CLB 31 57 鈥� 88
RED LAKE 鈥� G. Kingbird 21, Brown 18, Guise 10, Beaulieu 7, Dudley 7, Bikius 6, Cook 2, Roy 1.
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CASS LAKE-BENA 鈥� Whitebird 29, Boswell 20, Fairbanks 18, Jackson 7, Dick 5, Goss 3, Wind 3, Blue-Robinson 2, Smith 2.
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