SHAWNEE, OK – The Potawatomi Fire earned a statement win over the previously undefeated Enid Outlaws (4-1) on Friday. The Fire jumped out to an early lead and never looked back as they crushed their in-state rivals 150-94.
“I thought we played really well,” said Fire head coach, and two-time TBL Coach of the Year, Mark Dannhoff. “I thought our defense was smothering all night and our offense was obviously very, very good. This is one of the most complete games we have played since I’ve been here.”
The Fire started off strong leading by 14 points after the first quarter, but it was the second quarter where the Fire started to put the game away. The Fire scored 43 points in the second quarter and outscored Enid by 19, stretching their lead to 33 at halftime. In the second half, the Fire never let up and built their lead to as much as 64 before ultimately winning by 56. The 56-point margin of victory was the second largest margin of victory in team history. Through three games, the Fire are beating their opponents by an average of 47.3 points.
After a couple of good but not great performances offensively to start the season, the Fire found their rhythm early tonight and never lost it. The Fire scored a season-high 150 points on 52.4% shooting from the field. The Fire also hit 37.2% of their three-point attempts and 80.0% of their free throws.
Overall, eight players scored in double-figures and three players recorded double-doubles. Chuck Guy again led the Fire with 30 points, 16 assists, and 5 rebounds. Ricardo Artis II also had a double-double with 21 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Finally, Deshawn Munson recorded his first double-double of the season finishing with 10 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
The other players to score in double-figures were Paul Harrison (22), Kam Williams (16), Isaiah Wade (14), Jachai Simmons (12), and Jaylen Mahone (11).
A full box score is available here.
While the offense was hitting on all cylinders, the defense was once again phenominal. The Fire held Enid to 36.7% shooting from the field and 25.0% from three. The Fire also forced 15 turnovers and recorded 11 steals and 9 blocks. Through three games, the Fire are averaging 14.0 steals and 9.3 blocks per game, both tops in TBL.
“We’ve talked a lot about being elite on defense this season,” said Dannhoff. “I think we’ve shown we can be just that so far. Now, we need to keep it up for the rest of the season.”
The Fire’s win on Friday extended two TBL-record winning streaks. The Fire have now won 33 consecutive games overall and 38 consecutive games inside FireLake Arena.
Up next, the 3-0 Fire will visit the Western Oklahoma Skykings (0-2) this Sunday, March 16th at 5 PM. That game will take place at Western Oklahoma State College in Altus, OK. 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.