Indians connect 13 times from long range in victory

BISMARCK – Austin Jarvis rocked the rim and delivered an emphatic exclamation point before watching the comfortable final minutes of a lopsided contest from the bench Monday night.

The Bismarck boys basketball team used its high-powered offense to wear down Lesterville in a glimpse of a potential bright future for a recently struggling program.

Three sophomores and a freshman starter each achieved double figures in scoring, and the Indians drained 13 3-pointers at home to prevail 94-49.

Bismarck (5-10) enjoyed an electric start over the first 80 seconds when its first three perimeter shots swished through the hoop, and never trailed following an initial 14-1 outburst.

Jarvis scored 16 of his game-high 37 points in the first quarter, and also contributed 13 rebounds, five steals and a pair of impressive transition dunks.

Hunter Drake knocked down five triples in the game, and netted 20 of his 22 points before halftime. Shawn Mork added 14 points and Chris Smith notched 13 for the Indians.

Freshman Riley Mathes tallied 20 points and nine rebounds for Lesterville (1-13), which trailed 25-6 before mounting a modest recovery on frequent trips to the line.

Mathes double clutched on an athletic 3-point play to begin the second quarter, and later converted a steal and layup to bring the Bearcats within 31-23.

Bismarck allowed its opposition to attack the basket during a defensive lapse, but regained momentum by creating turnovers through effective trapping.

Mork and Jarvis deflected passes for steals, and scored on fast breaks during a 13-4 run. Drake nailed consecutive 3-pointers heading toward the intermission to establish a 52-29 advantage.

Smith provided the hot hand with five field goals in the third quarter, including a pair of threes as the Indians repeatedly found him open along the baseline.

Bismarck committed just one turnover in that stanza while forcing eight, and Jarvis dribbled broke free of the last Lesterville defender for a slam that made the margin 77-43.

Jarvis topped himself early in the fourth. Moments after sinking his fourth 3-pointer of the night, he executed a powerful flush while drawing an intentional foul, and made the subsequent free throws.

Bismarck began the season with an already young squad, then faced more adversity when junior forward and lone 3-year varsity player Grant Latham recently underwent hip surgery.

The Indians had a solid 17-of-24 effort from the line, however, on Monday, and notched their first blowout win after defeating three of four previous opponents by five points or less.

Gage Shy and Timmy Dunn scored eight points each for the Bearcats, who made 17-of-26 free throws.

Bismarck sophomore Austin Jarvis (20) throws down a dunk against Lesterville after making a steal late in third quarter action.

Bismarck sophomore Chris Smith (24) rises to control a rebound between a crowd of Lesterville players and teammate Hunter Drake.

Bismarck freshman Logan Dunn arrives just ahead of Lesterville junior B.J. Mathes (20) to steal a pass in the first quarter.

Matt King is a sports reporter for the Daily Journal. Contact him at mking@dailyjournalonine.com