SHAWNEE, OK – Another night and another record for the Potawatomi Fire as they beat the Little Rock Lightning 119-106 on Thursday night.
Thursday’s win was the Fire’s 16th consecutive win, setting a new TBL record for most consecutive wins in a single season. The win was also the Fire’s 32nd straight win inside FireLake Arena and kept the Fire undefeated on the season.
“Like I’ve said a hundred times, we don’t talk about the streak, and we’ll continue to not talk about it,” said Fire head coach Mark Dannhoff. “I do think it’s something really special, to be honest. I’m really proud of these guys and, I think, when the season ends we will be able to look back on it and be really proud of it. But our focus quickly now moves to the Texas 7ers.”
The win over the Lightning was true team victory as eight different players reached double-digits in points. Chuck Guy, who scored a Fire record 55 in their last game, led the Fire once again with 27 points. He also had six assists, two rebounds, and two blocks. K.D. Moore scored 16 points, all of which came in the first quarter, before he left with an injured groin. Isaiah Wade finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. Jachai Simmons also scored 12 while grabbing four rebounds, recording two steals, and blocking one shot.
“We had a pretty good week of practice, and I was proud of all the guys,” said Dannhoff. “It was great to see Myron (McGowan) hit some shots and really step up. It was a good team win tonight.”
Off the bench, Ruston Hayward put together one of his better games of the year with 16 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three blocks. Myron McGowan finished with 11 points and four rebounds. T.J. Maston had 11 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and a pair of blocks. Ricky Artis II had a fairly quiet night but finished with his sixth double-double of the year of 10 points and 11 rebounds.
A full box score is available here.
With the win, the Fire improved to 16-0 on the year. Up next, the Fire will host the Texas 7ers Saturday, May 11. That game will tipoff at 7 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 Garret Fisbeck