Gordon Real Bird is no stranger to winning basketball teams.

But even Real Bird, with five state titles and more than 470 career wins, is a bit stunned at the numbers his Lame Deer Morning Stars are putting up this season.

Through 11 games, Lame Deer is averaging 110 points a game. The Morning Stars have surpassed the 100-point mark in eight of their last nine games, including 148 vs. Rosebud and 138 vs. Northern Cheyenne.

At 13.9 points per game, Gernell Killsnight is the LOWEST scoring player among the team's five starters. On Saturday night, the Morning Stars completed a three-games-in-three nights stretch in which they racked up 361 points to raise their record to 11-0.

Included in Lame Deer's weekend blitz was a 109-59 decimation of Bridger, which came into the game with a 7-1 record.

"I'm not surprised that we're winning because these kids are very talented and they've worked very hard," said Real Bird. "But I must say that I'm a little surprised at the high scores. We've been shooting the ball very well lately and the points just keep coming."

Real Bird is in his third year at Lame Deer after 18 years and five state championships at Lodge Grass. After going 9-12 in Real Bird's first season in 1997-98, the Morning Stars reached the State C tournament last year and finished fourth.

This year's team is on track for a return trip to the State C, which would be their last - for a while, anyway. Lame Deer, with an enrollment of 175, is moving up to Class B next year.

"Going to the state tournament would be a very nice way to leave Class C," said Real Bird. "But I know and our kids know that we've got a lot of work ahead of us before that happens. We understand that there's a lot of stiff competition in front of us."

Last summer, the Morning Stars helped prepare themselves for the stiff competition they'll face in the months to come.

Rather than taking his players on a tour of team camps, Real Bird found plenty of competition just down the road. Lame Deer played in a summer league in Forsyth, a league that included most of the teams Lame Deer will join next year in District 3B as well as Colstrip - currently undefeated and ranked No. 1 in Class A.

"We never did beat Colstrip, but we gave them some good battles," said Real Bird. "Playing against teams like that really helped our kids get better."

Lame Deer is located 23 miles south of Colstrip, on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation.

Real Bird also points to the success his players had on the football field last fall - Lame Deer reached the semifinals of the 6-Man playoffs - as a key to their basketball success.

"Just about every one of these kids were on that football team," said Real Bird. "When you get a taste of winning in one sport, it carries over into the other sports."

Real Bird says one of the Morning Stars' strength is their unselfishness, and that is reflected on the stat sheets.

Junior guard Tommy McCormick, who set a school record with 10 3-pointers in Saturday's win over Hysham, leads Lame Deer in scoring at 26.4 points per game. McCormick is followed in the scoring column by senior forward Lomar Wandering Medicine at 21.5 ppg., senior guard Dustin Two Moons at 15.6, senior guard Talani Tsosie at 14.1 and Killsnight, a junior forward, at 13.9.

Five players, all seniors, come off the bench and play significant minutes - Frank Flying, Simon Walksalong, Allen Fisher, Omar Littlewhiteman and Max Hiwalker. All five have scored in double figures at least once this season.

"These kids really have great teamwork," said Real Bird. "They really make great passes and great assists. They're always looking to see which one of their teammates has an open shot, and when one of our players gets a hot hand, the other players keep getting him the ball."

At 6-foot-4, Flying is the only Morning Star over 6-2. But at 270 pounds, Flying is not your average 6-4 high school center.

"Frank and Max (Hiwalker, who stands 6-2) really dominate the boards," said Real Bird. "And they can both really run. With his size and speed, Frank is almost unstoppable."

Depth and unselfish play are two of Lame Deer's strong suits. The other, and maybe the most important, is conditioning. The Morning Stars have to be in good shape to execute Real Bird's fast-break offense and full-court defense, and they are.

"My conditioning program is very strenuous, but it pays off," said Real Bird. "In the fourth quarter when other teams are tired, our players are still chomping at the bit."

Chomping at the bit and devouring opponents.

**End of Article**