ST. LOUIS, MO – The Potawatomi are one win from another championship as they beat the St. Louis Griffins 120-106 in Game 1 of the 2024 TBL Finals.
“I was proud of our guys tonight,” said Fire head coach Mark Dannhoff. “St. Louis is a very good team that doesn’t quit. I was proud of how we kept our composure and kept playing.”
The Fire and Griffins traded blows early in the game before Paul Harrison converted on a four-point possession to put the Fire up 12-8 with just under 7 minutes remaining in the first. From there, the Fire never looked back.
Harrison led the Fire with 28 points on 10 of 17 shooting. Harrison also had seven rebounds, two assists, a block, and a steal. Chuck Guy had another fantastic game with 26 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Making him homecoming, St. Louis native and Harris-Stowe State University alum, Deshawn Munson had 19 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. Jachai Simmons had arguably his best game of the postseason with 15 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. Ricky Artis II, making his first start of the postseason, finished with 13 points, five rebounds, three rebounds, and four steals. Finally, off the bench,Ruston Hayward finished with 11 points, four rebounds, and two assists.
“I thought all of our guys played their roles well tonight,” said Dannhoff. “Chuck ran the show and kept everyone in the right spots. Paul knocked down shots and took advantage of mismatches. Munson attacked and got to the rim like he does, and Jachai, Ricky, and Ruston all played with energy and made big plays when we needed them.”
A full box score is available at the bottom of this story.
With the win, the Fire are now up 1-0 in the TBL Finals. They have an opportunity to finish off their historic season and win another championship on Sunday, June 23rd when they host the St. Louis Griffins in Game 2. Game 2 will tipoff at 7 PM inside FireLake Arena. You can watch a live stream of the playoff games on TBL TV or listen to the games on KGFF Radio (100.9 FM/1450 AM/KGFF.com). Tickets for Game 2 are now on sale. You can purchase tickets at potawatomifire.com/tickets or by calling the FireLake Arena box office at 405-273-1637.
Be sure to follow the Fire on social media (Instagram, Facebook, X) to stay up to date with all the latest information on the Fire.
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The Potawatomi Fire are the first professional basketball team owned by a Native American tribe (Citizen Potawatomi Nation) in Oklahoma. The Fire compete in the Central Conference of The Basketball League (TBL), a men’s professional basketball league, now with 38 teams across the U.S. and Canada. Along with winning the TBL championship in 2023, the Fire organization was named the 2022 winner of the Jim Koch Award as TBL’s Best Ran Business. The dance team of the Fire, the Fire Girls, were named TBL’s 2022 Best Dance Team and Central Conference Best Dance Team in 2023.
The TBL season begins in February and runs through June, concluding with a championship playoff tournament. The players that make up the rosters of the TBL teams are former NCAA (Division I, II or III) or NAIA athletes. Many have played in the NBA’s developmental G-League and/or professionally overseas.
Story by Chris Cox / Photos by Garret Fisbeck