Senior captain of the Stanley County Buffalo boys basketball team made a bit of history in Saturday night’s 65-46 win over Wolsey-Wessington. The two teams participated in the Classic in Madison which is held at Dakota State University, and the team know going in this could be a big night for Buffalo basketball.
Deal came close to crossing the 1,000-point threshold in their Thursday night win over Cheyenne-Eagle Butte, but was substituted for when the win was imminent for head coach Joey Fischer. So, Deal would only need a few buckets to join the elite club of scorers around the state.
Deal and the Buffaloes found their rhythm early against a very solid Warbirds team, and one of those to find the groove was Deal. Paxton was able to craft his way into the 1,000-point club midway through the second quarter as a part of his 16-point first half performance. Every time Deal would get a look on offense in pursuit of the 1,000th point, everyone in the gym stopped what they were doing to see him break the mark.
This achievement does not come without tireless preparation. Any given practice day for Stanley County you can enter the gym to find the first two in the building are the two captains, Paxton Deal and Eddie Duffy.
Deal quickly celebrated the accomplishment, but then it was back to work as the Buffaloes looked to improve to 12-2 on the year. Fischer continued to draw from his deep bench throughout the game as Stanley County saw nine different players finish with points. Deal, who finished with 21, saw his right-hand man Eddie Duffy finish in double-digits as well with 13.
Stanley County’s win stands as another building block for the 12-2 Buffs who have State Tournament aspirations. With a couple more big contests on the horizon, seed points become a premium as they gear up for region play just a few weeks out. Stanley County’s next contest will come February 3rd when they go on the road to Todd County.
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