LITTLE ROCK, AR – The Potawatomi Fire continued their perfect start to the season as they beat the Little Rock Lightning 113-87.

The Fire started off strong, leading Little Rock 22-11 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, Little Rock battled back but the Fire still led by eight going into halftime. Like they have all season, the Fire used a strong third quarter to put the Fire away. In the third, the Fire again clamped down defensively and led by 12 going into the fourth where they were able to pull away for good.

The Fire’s defense led their effort as they held Little Rock to just 39% shooting. The Lightning also shot just 25% from three and had 15 turnovers, which led to 22 Potawatomi Fire points. The 87 points were also the lowest point total allowed by the Fire this season.

The Fire were equally as dominant on the offensive end, shooting nearly 59% from the field and hitting on 39% of their threes. The only area where the Fire struggled offensive was from the free throw line, where they shot a season-low 52.6%.

“I thought we played a complete game,” said Fire head coach Mark Dannhoff. “We knew Little Rock was going to be tough, but I thought we came out strong and it’s always good to get a win on the road.”

It was a true team effort for the Fire as had six players in finish in double figures scoring. Myron McGowan led the Fire in scoring with 23 points.

“I talked with Myron this week and told him I thought he was pressing a bit,” said Dannhoff. “It was nice to see him get out there, play relaxed, and knock down shots.”

2022 TBL MVP Deshawn Munson was close to a triple-double with 18 points, 18 rebounds, and seven assists. Munson’s 18 boards were all defensive rebounds, which tied his own team record, set in 2022 versus Beaumont.

“He’s such a weapon and he’s putting together a nice start to the season,” said Dannhoff. “He does so many things well that he can impact the game in a lot of ways and you saw that tonight.”

K.D. Moore continued his strong start to the season with 17 points and five rebounds. Chuck Guy had another solid performance with 13 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and four steals. Off the bench, Ricardo Artis II continued his early Sixth Man of the Year push with 13 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block. T.J. Maston was the final player in double figures scoring 10 points while grabbing two rebounds.

A full box score can be found here.

With the win, the Fire are now 5-0 on the year. Up next, the Fire take on the Texas 7ers in their final game before the TBL All-Star game. That game is scheduled for Saturday, March 23rd at 7:00 PM inside FireLake Arena. You can watch a live stream of the game on TBL TV or listen to the game on KGFF Radio (100.9 FM/1450 AM/KGFF.com).

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 Garett Fisbeck