The Oakes Tornadoes waltzed into their game on Tuesday with two straight wins but they left with three. They came out on top against Richland by a score of 53-44. That's another feather in the cap for Oakes, who also won these teams' last head-to-head.
Richland's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Nick Mjoness, who scored 16 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Mjoness continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Casyn Syvertsen, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Oakes pushed their record up to 7-6 with that victory, which was their third straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.0 points per game. As for Richland, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost six of their last eight games, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-9 record this season.
Oakes will take on Wyndmere/Lidgerwood at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in North Dakota (Wyndmere/Lidgerwood is ranked 85th, while Oakes is ranked 62nd). As for Richland, they will look to defend their home court on Friday against Enderlin at 7:30 p.m. Enderlin has now lost 11 straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since December 11.
