WICHITA, KS – The Potawatomi Fire kept their winning streak alive on Friday night as they held off a tough Wichita Skykings squad 125-111.
The Fire jumped out to a big first quarter lead (37-25) before the Skykings started knocking down threes and making the Fire work for their 14th victory of the year.
“The Skykings are very tough, especially when they start knocking down shots like they did tonight,” said Fire head coach Mark Dannhoff. “They are a well-coached team and have just gotten better as the season has gone on. We had to work for tonight’s win but I’m proud of the way our guys played to finish off this tough win.”
Several players had big games for the Fire. K.D. Moore led the Fire in scoring with a season high 37 points. He also had six rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Deshawn Munson had his third triple-double of the year with 20 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists, and four steals. Isaiah Wade had his first double-double of season with 25 points, 15 rebounds, and three assists. Jachai Simmons also recorded his first double-double with 24 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Chuck Guy finished with just nine points, but he did dish out 16 assists.
“Our starters played a lot of minutes tonight, but I thought they were all really good tonight,” said Dannhoff. “I probably should’ve put Ricky and Ruston and some of our other bench guys in during the second half, but I didn’t want to disrupt the rhythm we had.”
Off the bench, Ricky Artis II finished with 10 points, and five rebounds while Ruston Hayward finished with four points and two assists.
A full box score is available here.
With the win, the Fire improved their perfect record to 14-0. They are now one win away from tying The Basketball League record for longest win streak. That record is currently held by the Enid Outlaws, who won 15 straight games in 2021.
Up next, the Fire (14-0) will host the Enid Outlaws (7-6) tomorrow night inside FireLake Arena. Tip is scheduled for 7 PM. 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 Kent Bush and Garret Fisbeck