Bulldogs break free at Worland for 57-35 win
The Lovell Bulldogs found they could win a defensive style, rough-and-tumble game Thursday. After roaring through the Big Horn Basin Classic with an average margin of victory of 27 points the weekend before, the Bulldogs knew it would be different in Worland Thursday – a tough place for a conference game – and it was.
Indeed, the game was a scratch-and-claw defensive battle for a half before the Bulldogs pulled away for a 57-35 win.
Worland led for much of the first quarter until Lovell senior sharpshooter Robert Romero came off the bench to drain back-to-back three-pointers. The bombs helped Lovell eke out an 11-10 lead after one.
Worland continued to hang tough in the second quarter and tied the score 17-all on a trey by Bryan Caballero midway through the quarter before Lovell outscored the home team 8-3 in the final four minutes to lead 25-20 at halftime.
“In the first half, to their credit, I thought Worland played well,” Lovell head coach Shane Durtsche said. “They shot it better than I thought they would. We missed a couple of easy baskets and blew a few opportunities. I give Worland a lot of credit, but in the first half we weren’t as intense and locked in as I wanted us to be.
“Robert was big off the bench. He played really well against Powell (the previous weekend) in the (Big Horn Basin Classic) championship game and had a good week of practice. I told him to play with confidence and let it fly.
“It (the close score) was no surprise. Worland is well coached. They’re a tough team, and I absolutely expected them to battle, especially at their place.”
The Bulldogs took charge in the third quarter, outscoring the Warriors 20-9 to lead 45-29 with one quarter to play. A steal and basket by Jace Nicholls and a trey by Davin Crosby got the Bulldogs rolling, and a slam dunk later in the quarter by Owen Walker on a pass from Nicholls punctuated the Lovell surge.
Durtsche said he didn’t make any particular adjustments at halftime except to urge his team to pick up their intensity. They did just that, he said, and also shot the ball better.
“We just focused on getting out and hedging the ball screens and playing with more intensity and communicating better on defense,” he said. “That defense eventually wears teams down. It gets difficult to play against that defense for four quarters.”
Lovell doubled up Worland 12-6 in the fourth quarter to win by 22 points as Durtsche emptied the bench in the final two minutes.
Walker scored 16 points to lead the Bulldogs, and Matthew Newman joined him in double figures with 13. Romero added 9, Nicholls 8, Crosby 5, Kaeson Anderson 4 and Owen Edwards and Kyle Wilson 1 apiece.
Walker pulled down 12 rebounds for a double-double, and Nicholls recorded nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Anderson also had four assists, Newman three. Anderson blocked three shots, and Crosby snared seven caroms.
Big game at Powell
Now 13-0 overall, 2-0 in the 3A Northwest, the Bulldogs have an important conference game at Powell tonight (Thursday) at 7 p.m. (JVs at 4). The Bulldogs clobbered Powell in Panther Gym 74-38 January 18 in the championship game of the BHB Classic, but they know tonight’s game will be a battle, with Powell buckling down for a much stronger performance.
Saturday, the Bulldogs will travel south to face one of the top teams in Class 2A, the Thermopolis Bobcats (10-3), who dropped down from 3A this year and are currently ranked number one. Tap times Saturday are 10 a.m. (freshmen), 11:30 a.m. (JVs) and 2:30 p.m.
The Bulldogs will travel to Pinedale and Lander February 7-8 and Cody February 14 before hosting Worland on Saturday, Feb. 15.
“I know how talented Thermopolis is, but they’re not in our conference, so the game we’re preparing for is Powell,” Durtsche said. “We just need to go over there and be us – play defense and rebound. What happened over there (during the Classic) means absolutely nothing at this point. We need to match their energy and be ready to go.
“Thermopolis is as talented a team as we’ll play this year, and they’re more talented than a lot of them. They’re still a 3A battle tested team. They’re long and athletic, and it will be a very difficult test.”