Warriors survive Patriot roadblock

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

March 12, 199

By Devlyn Brooks

CROOKSTON, Minn. -- You could see it in the stern, concentrated looks during their pre-game warm-ups.

Red Lake Warriors seniors Delwyn Holthusen and Gerald Kingbird knew this wasn't just another playoff game in the many that will define their careers.

This game was the first true roadblock in the way of the state championship they set out to win some three-plus months ago.

Led by Holthusen and Kingbird, who combined for 57 points, the state's No.-ranked Class A Red Lake Warriors smashed that roadblock with a thrilling 76-66 victory over previously unbeaten Win-E-Mac Thursday at University of Minnesota-Crookston's Lysaker Gymnasium.

Many, including the media, fans and even the teams themselves, saw this Section 8A semifinal as more of the championship game. After all, the Warriors were ranked first and the Patriots fourth in the state, and both teams in Thursday's second semifinal -- Red Lake Falls and Stephen-Argyle -- were not even expected to win their sub-sections.

Tonight's Section 8 final pitting Red Lake versus the winner of Red Lake Falls/Stephen-Argyle will tell the ultimate tale, but Thursday's atmosphere was nothing less than championship.

Fans from both sides of the aisle filled the gym to capacity and then some.

They were literally everywhere -- sitting three and four deep on the floor on the gym's north side, sitting behind Win-E-Mac's school band and lining the walls on all four sides.

And everybody was aware of the match-up -- Win-E-Mac entered the game with a 22-0 record and the Sub-Section 30A championship and Red Lake entered with a 23-1 record, their only loss to an Illinois state champion earlier this year, and the Sub-Section 29A championship.

Ultimately, it was Holthusen who was Red Lake's answer as he scored 33 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field, and almost singlehandedly willed his team on to win.

"I've never seen a kid play that well in all the years I've coached," Warriors assistant coach Bill Rutledge said after the game. "He posted them up, stepped out to hit the 10-foot jumper. ... They didn't have an answer for him down low."

And when Win-E-Mac was successful defending him, the Warriors' Kingbird and Harold Graves shot the lights out from the perimeter, hitting 7-of-8 from three-point land in the first half.

The Warriors struck quickly in the first quarter to grab a 21-8 lead before the Patriots caught their breath. Holthusen hit four buckets and two free throws in the period, while Kingbird and Graves were just getting started. Graves' three-pointer to extend the Warriors' lead to 21-8 would be the first of seven he and Kingbird would drain in the first half.

Closing out the first, Win-E-Mac narrowed the gap to 23-12 with two driving layups by Scott Brumwell and Travis Nelson, but it was the only momentum they garnered in the half.

In the second quarter, as the Patriots' defense began to sag to compensate for Holthusen, the Warriors' two outside sharpshooters mad them pay. Kingbird was in the zone in such a way that at one point he drained a 24-foot trey and later passed up an open layup to pull up for an outside bucket.

"It's not so much that we dug a hole (in the first half)," said Win-E-Mac coach Mike Roysland, trying to explain how incredibly well the Warriors performed. "It's what they did to get up so far. Kingbird and Graves really hurt us when we sagged on Holthusen. (Kingbird and Holthusen) stepped it up another notch today. (Forty-four) is the most points we've given up to anyone in a half."

After the half, the Patriots demonstrated the talent that had gotten them to the section semifinal. Their tenacious defense forced several uncharacteristic Red Lake turnovers and held their powerful offense to just nine points. The Warriors were as close to flailing as they had all year.

"They made a nice run in that third quarter. Their defense stepped it up," Rutledge said. "So, we told the kids we had to go back down low to Delwyn. He didn't need a bucket, but we had to give him a touch down low."

But it was the Patriots' own turnovers in the fourth period that doomed their fate. Twice they had cut the deficit to six points or less, the latest coming with 1:55 left in the game. They cut the lead to 69-64 on a Matt Tradewell layup, but Red Lake immediately entered a stall and eventually whittled away the remainder of the game.

"We definitely had respect for them," Rutledge said. "This is definitely the game we thought we had to get by."

Red Lake will play the winner of Red Lake Falls/Stephen-Argyle at 8:15 p.m. tonight, also at UMC's Lysaker Gymnasium for the opportunity to advance to the Class A state tournament.

Win-E-Mac 12 18 15 21 -- 66

Red Lake 23 24 9 20 -- 76

WIN-E-MAC (22-1) 66

Steven Bradley 8-17 0-0 20, Mark Sylstad 1-2 0-0 2, Travis Nelson 4-11, 0-0 9, Kyle Ness 1-2 0-0 2, Matt Tradewell 8-17 3-3 21, Scott Brumwell 2-4 2-2 7, Dave Jenson 2-3 1-1 5, Scott O'Neil 0-0 0-0 0. Team Totals -- 26-56 6-6 66.

RED LAKE (24-1) 76

Gerald Kingbird 9-15 2-2 24, Harold Graves 4-8 0-2 11, Joe Nayquonabe 1-2 2-2 4, Byron Graves 0-2 2-2 2, Delwyn Holthusen 10-18 13-17 33, Clyde Perkins 0-3 2-2 2, Scott Pemberton 0-1 0-0 0, Gary Spears 0-0 0-0 0. Team Totals -- 24-49 21-27 76.

3-pointers -- WEM 8-22 (Bradley 4-10, Nelson 1-3, Tradewell 2-7, Brumwell 1-2), RL 7-12 (Kingbird 4-5, H. Graves 3-6, Clyde Perkins 0-1). Rebounds -- WEM 22 (Bradley 8), RL 27 (Holthusen 15). Assists -- WEM 10 (Nelson 6), RL 7 (three with two). Turnovers -- WEM 15 (Sylstad 1, Brumwell 1), RL 1 (Holthusen 1). Steals -- WEM 7 (Tradewell 4), RL 9 (Holthusen 4). Total fouls -- WEM 21, RL 13. Fouled out -- WEM (Brumwell), RL (Nayquonable).