Opinion: Loss of two stars doesn't have to mean end of the road for DWU

The Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team has already faced about as much adversity as any one team could handle this season.

The Tigers started the season thinking they would be without Preston Broughton, reigning Great Plains Athletic Conference player of the year and the team's leading scorer and rebounder, for just a few weeks.

Broughton had knee surgery several weeks before the season started and was originally supposed to miss just a few weeks.

Well, that one surgery turned into two, and a few weeks turned into a month, and then coach John Hemenway announced Broughton would use a medical redshirt for what would have been his senior season.

There were a few rough games to start the season. DWU dropped a five-point game in overtime to Black Hills State on Nov. 9, then fell 82-65 to Valley City State just six days later.

After that, the Tigers picked themselves up and racked up a 16-5 overall record and a 7-2 mark in the GPAC. They proved to everyone -- themselves included -- that basketball truly is a team sport and they can still win without Broughton.

Now, Dakota Wesleyan is out to prove it can survive the loss of another star.

Senior Colby Fitzgerald went down with a knee injury early in the Tigers' rout of Briar Cliff Wednesday. An MRI Thursday revealed a torn anterior cruciate ligament, which means Fitzgerald will need season-ending knee surgery.

In Broughton's absence, Fitzgerald, a guard from Dell Rapids, was filling in as scoring leader for the Tigers. He is second in the league with an average 18.3 points per game.

Now, someone is going to have to fill in for Fitzgerald.

If the past two games have been any indication, Dakota Wesleyan is going to be OK.

The Tigers dismantled Briar Cliff, then ranked No. 13 in the country, 90-68 after losing Fitzgerald early in the contest Wednesday.

Sunday, DWU picked up another big win when it defeated Hastings, which had already beat the Tigers once on the road this season, 93-79.

While Fitzgerald was definitely missed, as he will be the entire rest of the season, it wasn't like there was a huge gap in the Tigers' offense all night. Thanks to solid play from bench players and several standout performances, DWU fared well against the Broncos.

A big reason for both wins for the Tigers was Mitch Bain. The junior scored 19 points and added eight assists, five rebounds and three steals to his stat line in Wednesday's blowout.

Sunday, the Nassau, Bahamas, native scored a game-high 24 points -- including four three-pointers -- dished out seven assists and had three steals to help fill in for his missing teammate.

He wasn't the only one to pick up the pace. Brady Wiebe scored 21 points in both games and Nelson combined for 34 points between the two games.

Mike Long also made some big baskets off the bench. Sunday, he hit back-to-back baskets and then a free throw after the foul on his second basket to keep the Tigers ahead of the Broncos. He finished with nine points Sunday and seven Wednesday.

Another big contributor as of late has been Chase Walder. He went 3-for-7 from three-point range and finished with 10 points against Briar Cliff. Walder scored seven points against Hastings.

If the Tigers want to get back to the national tournament, which they no doubt do, this is going to need to continue. Everyone needs to fill in wherever necessary.

It's tough, playing without one of your stars. Playing without two is something no team wants to even think about.

Now, Dakota Wesleyan has to stop thinking about it and just do it.

The Tigers are 2-0 with both Broughton and Fitzgerald out.

As long as they keep playing the way they have been, if there's any team that can get through a situation like this, it's the Tigers.