Ogichidaa devastated by Chisholm's last-minute comeback in semifinals

DULUTH -- Ken Fox knew the game was far from done.

Following a string of buckets that gave his Fond du Lac Ojibwe boys basketball team an 11-point lead with four minutes left on state-ranked Chisholm - coached by legendary Bob McDonald - Fox pointed out the reality to his bunch during a timeout.

"I told them there was a lot of time left on the clock," recalled Fox. "I told them that they needed to stay together. I told them it wasn't over."

McDonald, in his 50th year coaching Chisholm, came out with a full-court press. After that, the man with more than 900 career wins got another, as his Bluestreaks outscored the Ogichidaa 15-2 to close the game en route to a 64-62 Section 7A semifinal win last Wednesday at Romano Gymnasium at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

"They pressed us and the boys just kind of lost their composure," said Fox. "I told them to slow down and play their game, but we just had some costly turnovers down the stretch."

Following a handful of Ogichidaa miscues, the experienced Bluestreaks jumped back into the game in a flash. A pair of Adam Vake 3-pointers, mixed with an array of easy baskets, allowed Chisholm to slip past to the championship and eventually, to another state tournament berth.

But the Bluestreaks are used to that big-game pressure. They were cool, calm and collected. Yet for FDL, it was a whole new atmosphere.

"It was a big stage, a big game, a big crowd," said Fox, "and that's tough. Those kids had never been there [at UMD] before. It was understandable. Just being there was big."

The Ogichidaa had been underestimated all year long. Basically, no one outside of Cloquet had heard of them. They had played stellar foes such as Minnesota Transitions, Minneapolis Patrick Henry, Roosevelt, Chisholm and even top-ranked Hopkins, but no one knew. Then, after knocking off Cherry and Cook County - both higher seeds - they advanced to the small tribal school's first ever Final Four. The Ogichidaa played the Bluestreaks and competed down to the final horn.

And they almost pulled off a miracle.

Dewey Dupuis led the FDL attack with 19 points, as his array of 3-pointers midway through the second half let the Ogichidaa turn a 32-27 halftime deficit into an 11-point, 60-49 lead with four minutes to play.

"Dewey really stepped up for us," said Fox of his senior guard. "He led us in scoring the past couple games and really played big."

But it was after Dupuis' streak that McDonald called a timeout and the wheels fell off. FDL's Trevor Brown fired a half-court prayer for the win as time expired, but the ball ricocheted off the rim and boys fell to the ground, some bursting into tears.

Although a loss, it was a victory too.

"One guy told me it was the best basketball game he's seen in his life," said Fox. "No Fond du Lac team in history has ever gotten that far. Win, lose or draw, I'm so proud of them."

So is their community.

"It's been coming from all levels," said Fox. "What we did really brought some pride to the community and I want to thank them for all of their support. There were so many people there cheering for us, it was awesome. I think it really meant a lot to

people."

The trio of Kello Brown, Lee St. John and Travis Brown chipped in 13, 11 and 11 points, respectively, in the season-ending defeat as well.

Although the year came to an end with a 14-15 record, it's one they'll never forget.

"It was fun. We started things off with some problems, but ironed those out and became a family," said Fox. "Sure, we didn't get to where we wanted go, but we have no regrets.

"For our kids to step up and play like they did and almost pull it off was just unbelievable."

It was a game for the ages - with heart-stopping action all the way through.

"They left everything they had on that floor and have nothing to be ashamed of," Fox continued. "They did something special this year. They did something that when they come back to their class reunion in 20 years, people will still be talking about it."