TERRELL, TX – The Potawatomi Fire took a 1-0 lead in the Central Conference Finals after a big 143-108 victory over the Texas 7ers on Thursday night.
The Fire jumped to a commanding 33-14 lead after the first quarter. From there, the Fire went on to cruise to the victory. The Fire have now scored at least 143 points in every playoff game this postseason.
“I thought everyone played really well tonight,” said Fire head coach Mark Dannhoff. “I could tell from the week of practice that we had, that we were focused and ready to play tonight. We started off really well and played good, clean basketball all game.”
Deshawn Munson continued his good play this postseason finishing with a team high 24 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. Munson also had one block and one steal on the defensive end.
“Deshawn has continued to play really well and has really upped his game this postseason,” said Dannhoff. “He’s always rebounded well and passed the ball well but his scoring has started to get back to what we are used to seeing and he’s playing well on defense.”
Chuck Guy had another fantastic game. While he only scored 13 points, Guy broke his own team record with 21 assists on Thursday. He also had eight rebounds and four assists as he continues to show why many believe he is the frontrunner for TBL MVP.
“I’ve said it all season long, but Chuck just gives us whatever we need,” said Dannhoff. “Tonight, we didn’t need his scoring, but we needed his playmaking and his defense, and we got that. He is one of the premier players in TBL.”
All five Fire starters reached double digits in points. Along with Munson and Guy, Jachai Simmons scored 21 points, including a handful of big dunks. He also had nine rebounds. Paul Harrison finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, and three steals and K.D. Moore finished with 12 points and five rebounds.
Off the bench, 6th Man of the Year candidate Ricky Artis II scored 16 points on 8-9 shooting from the field. He also had three rebounds, three steals, and two steals. Isaiah Wade finished with 12 points and five rebounds. Myron McGowan finished with 12 points.
A full box score is available here.
With the win, the Fire not only stay perfect at 23-0 overall but they take a 1-0 lead in the Central Conference Finals. The Fire will have an opportunity to sweep the Texas 7ers on Saturday when they host Game 2 inside FireLake Arena in Shawnee. 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).
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