Justin Schock has been looking for a game to build confidence for the stretch run.
He got it Saturday night.
Schock had 26 points and five rebounds to lead West Fargo to a convincing 83-46 Eastern Dakota Conference boys basketball victory against winless Devils Lake at West Fargo High School.
"I played pretty good last time against them so they decided to go to me this time as well," Schock said. "We've been up-and-down all season and I've been up-and-down. I feel like I needed a good boost. ... Hopefully, I'll be playing a lot better from here on out."
The Packers dominated the first half with offensive balance. But a trend emerged when it was evident the Firebirds had little firepower in the paint.
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Schock scored eight points in the paint on the undersized Firebirds.
Devils Lake, which doesn't have a player on the roster taller than 6-foot-3, starts 6-foot center Connor Swiontek, 6-1 forward Ben Erickstad and three guards.
A 6-9 center, Schock entered the game averaging 9.3 points and 7.4 rebounds a game. However, his size advantage made him a frequent passing target of Packers guards.
"No matter what, what they were doing offensively was working," Devils Lake coach Josh Johnson said.
West Fargo (9-5, 9-5 EDC) was also hot from the perimeter in the first half, shooting 59 percent on 22 attempts.
Grant Ringdahl had eight points in the first half, including a pair of 3-pointers. Brady Schwartz scored seven points and Chase Farkas chipped in with five points to help the Packers to a 40-18 halftime lead.
Erickstad and 6-1 guard Nathan Mertens were the only players to score for the Firebirds in the game.
Mertens, a smooth 6-1 guard, finished with 22. Erickstad had 24 points and five rebounds.
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Devils Lake (0-13, 0-11 EDC) was held scoreless for more than three minutes to end the game.
Both teams emptied their benches with about six minutes remaining.
West Fargo has won three in a row and four of its last five game.
"We're playing much better now," Schock said. "The last couple games we got some confidence and hopefully we can carry it on to the rest of the season."
DEVILS LAKE: Mertens 7 8-11 22, Erickstad 10 4-4 24, Nelson 0 0-2 0. Totals: 17 12-17 46.
WEST FARGO: Farkas 2 4-4 9, Pistorius 2 1-1 5, Schwartz 3 2-3 9, Ringdahl 6 0-0 15, Schock 11 4-5 26, Wolden 0 2-2 2, Evenson 1 2-3 4, Mattila 1 0-2 2, Young 1 2-2 4, Dahl 0 1-2 1, Spieker 2 0-0 4, Langerud 0 2-2 2. Totals: 29 20-26 83.
Halftime: WF 40, DL 18. 3-pointers: Farkas, Schwartz, Ringdahl 3. Total fouls: DL 24, WF 17. Rebounds: DL 14 (Erickstad 5), WF 33 (Schock 5).
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Heath Hotzler at (701) 241-5562.
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