ENID, OK – Despite playing their fifth game in 11 days, the Potawatomi Fire showed no sign of fatigue as they cruised past the Enid Outlaws 142-97 on Thursday night at the Stride Bank Center in Enid.
The Fire got off to a hot start scoring 35 points in the first quarter on 73.7% shooting from the field. On the defensive end, the Fire held Enid to just 20 points on 30.8% shooting in the first quarter.
“We started off really strong tonight and that allowed us to really control the game,” said Fire head coach Mark Dannhoff. “We were aggressive getting to the rim and shared the ball well tonight. Defensively, I thought we contested shots well and rebounded well to start the game. With how much basketball we’ve played recently, and the fact we have a game tomorrow, that start allowed to really manage the minutes of our players tonight so we can be as well rested as possible for San Antonio tomorrow night.”
Overall, it was a balanced effort for the Fire as eight players reached double-figures in points and all 10 players scored.
“Our balance was big tonight,” said Dannhoff. “I though everyone had good moments tonight and we were moving the ball which kept Enid on their toes. Anytime you can have that kind of balance, you know you’ll have a chance to win.”
Deshawn Munson was the leading scorer for the Fire finishing with 24 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Chuck Guy finished one rebound shy of his first triple-double of the season with 17 points, 9 rebounds, 14 assists, and a pair of steals. Jachai Simmons also finished with 17 points and 5 rebounds. Rounding out the starters, Paul Harrison had 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists while Ricardo Artis II finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds.
Isaiah Wade led the second unit scoring 18 points while grabbing 9 rebounds. Jay Hedgeman finished with 15 points and 3 rebounds while Kam Williams scored 11 points and grabbed 3 rebounds. Jaylen Mahone finished with 8 points on the night while Charles Lampten finished with 4 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Lampten also had 2 assists and blocked a shot.
A full box score is available here.
With the win, the Fire improved to 13-1 on the season. The win also marked the seventh consecutive win for the Fire and the 12th in row over Enid.
Up next, the Fire will host the San Antonio Clutch on Friday, May 2nd. With a win against San Antonio, the Fire will clinch TBL’s Central Conference title for the third consecutive season. A win would also be the Fire’s 44thstraight win inside FireLake Arena.
You can watch a live stream of the game at tbltv.tv or listen live on KGFF Radio (100.9 FM/1450 AM).
To stay up to date with all the latest news and notes regarding the Potawatomi Fire, follow the team on social media. You can follow the Fire on Twitter/X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
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ABOUT THE POTAWATOMI FIRE
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, with roughly 40 teams across the U.S. and Canada. The Fire play their home games at FireLake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
Through their first three years, the Fire have established themselves as the premier franchise in TBL. Along with winning the TBL championship in 2023 and 2024, 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 and 2024.