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Pearson, Lakers put on an offensive clinic to knock off the Sioux

Alex Eisen/MDN Des Lacs-Burlington senior Drew Pearson (14) gets knocked over by Logan Lamoureux (3) after making a 3-pointer against Westhope-Newburg on Thursday at the MSU Dome. Pearson finished with 39 points and was 7-for-7 from deep.

There is red hot, and then there is whatever Drew Pearson was feeling Thursday night.

The Des Lacs-Burlington senior just couldn’t miss. In three quarters of play, Pearson scored 39 points on 15-for-18 shooting and was a perfect 7-for-7 from three-point land.

The District 12 No. 3-seeded Lakers (18-5) made 13 triples as a team to defeat District 11 No. 2-seeded Westhope-Newburg, 94-62, in the first round of the Region 6 tournament at the Minot State Dome.

For as lethal as Pearson was, all the praise from him went to the guys that continued to set him up.

“I just felt good tonight,” Pearson said. “It was all due to my teammates. They were getting me open on every possession. I mean, I wasn’t forcing (the shots). I was just letting the game come to me. And I was just out there to have fun really.”

The Lakers got off to a flying start with the first 14 points of the contest. Westhope-Newburg junior Logan Lamoureux ended the drought for the Sioux (11-12) about halfway through the first quarter.

“We defended really well and that’s kind of where it started,” DLB coach Doug Wagner said. “We got out to that double-digit lead and shots were falling. Things went our way tonight, no doubt about it.”

Pearson, the District 12 Senior Athlete of the Year, looked locked in early on with a couple 3-pointers. And that continued throughout the first half, Pearson shot 9-for-12 from the floor for 23 points in the first 16 minutes. His offensive fireworks included a difficult circus shot finish with the and-one called and an NBA 3-pointer from nearly press row.

“He had quite a game,” Wagner said. “He hit just about every shot he took. Took good shots. I don’t think he really forced anything. And you got to give his teammates credit for getting him open, then when he got a shot he hit it.”

Doing his best to match Pearson, junior Tate Wyman went 7-for-10 in the first half with four 3-pointers for the Sioux. But, it was the Lakers’ efficiency of 58.8 percent from the floor in the first half that had DLB leading 50-29 at halftime.

Junior Josh Knutson capped the half for the Lakers with a mid-range jumper at the buzzer.

A 16-point third quarter for Pearson earned him time on the bench for the entirety of the final frame to rest up for the regional semifinals today. Senior Mark Medalen also finished in double figures for the Lakers with 12 points and, in total, DLB had 11 different players score in the contest.

Lamoureux had a strong second half to finish with a team-high 25 points for the Sioux, and classmate Wyman was right behind him with 24 points.

A running clock for the whole fourth quarter probably prevented the Lakers from hitting the 100-point plateau. A feat they have nearly done three times this season after scoring 99 and 98 points in a pair of regular season games.

The Lakers shot 60 percent from the floor with the Sioux at 48 percent.

Up next for Des Lacs-Burlington is another crack at District 12 champions Bishop Ryan in the regional semifinals. The Lions edged the Lakers in the district semifinals, 57-55, with Pearson missing a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have won them the game.

“We wanted another chance,” Wagner said. “They have got us twice already, so we need to shore things up and do things the right way. But we get a chance and not everybody does, so we are excited about it.”

The rematch for a place in the regional championship game is scheduled to tip at 6 p.m. this evening at the Minot Auditorium.

Alex Eisen covers Minot High School, Minot State athletics and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.

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