Bulldogs stop Worland by 15 in 2025-26 home opener

Coming off a busy tournament weekend in the form of the Big Horn Basin Classic, the Lovell Bulldogs jumped back into conference play Thursday, Jan. 22, with a solid 59-44 win over the Worland Warriors in the Bulldogs’ home opener at Johnny Winterholler Gym.

The win improved the Bulldogs to 2-0 in the 3A Northwest, 11-2 overall.

The two foes traded baskets early in the game, but after Worland took an 8-7 lead with about two minutes left in the first quarter, the Bulldogs launched a 12-0 run that carried into the second quarter. Owen Walker got things going with a follow shot, and Kaeson Anderson drained a three-pointer on a drive-and-dish by Matthew Newman. Newman then split two defenders in a slashing move that put the Bulldogs up 14-8 after one.

Anderson splashed a three-pointer to start the second quarter, and Newman executed a fast-break stop and pop for two more. Lovell led 19-8.

Worland was still in the game trailing 24-14 midway through the second quarter when the Bulldogs finished the half with a flourish, out-scoring the Warriors 9-1 down the stretch, a run punctuated by an off-the-backboard pass from Newman to Walker for a monster jam and a second dunk by Walker to close the half.

Lovell was flying high and led 33-15 at halftime.

A senior-laden Warrior team hung in, however, and the Bulldogs were never able to pull away. After Owen Edwards hit a trey to start the third quarter that put Lovell up 36-15, Michael Williams went to work for the Warriors, scoring 12 points in the third as Worland outscored Lovell 19-12 the rest of the quarter to cut the lead to 14, 48-34, after three.

A trey by Williams midway through the fourth trimmed the Lovell lead to 12, 54-42, but the Bulldogs were able to widen the lead again to win by 15, 59-44.

Lovell head coach Shane Durtsche said he would have liked to see his team play better in the second half and put the game away, while also praising Worland for hanging tough.

“I didn’t love how our second half went. I didn’t have a good feeling about the way we finished that game,” Durtsche said. “However, I thought Worland played well. I knew Worland was better than maybe their record shows (5-6). I think they’re a pretty solid basketball team, and I think they’ll be right there (to make) the state tournament.

“So I was still just, I guess, disappointed, not in a major way, because I do give Worland their props. They shot it well. But we really need to focus on keeping that intensity, because we had some letdowns a little bit, both offensively and defensively. But again, props to them, and especially the Williams kid, who hit some tough shots.”

One thing is clear, Durtsche said. As defending state champions, the Bulldogs have a target on their backs.

“I told our kids after the game. This is going to keep happening. You are going to get every team’s best shot and best game. I watched Worland last weekend (at the Classic). … They’re coming on. Worland’s a very dangerous basketball team.”

It’s only January, Durtsche said, and his Bulldogs will continue to get better. In many ways it’s a matter of consistency, he said. The team played like gangbusters in the first half, but they got out of the offensive flow at times in the second.

“We’re sometimes trying to take things that aren’t there,” he said. “We need to just play within ourselves. Just swing the basketball, and we’re going to get good shots. And yet we want to go down, put our head down and make a play that’s not there. And that’s what I mean when (I said) our flow wasn’t as good in the second half.”

Anderson finished with 17 points and eight assists to lead the Bulldogs, and Walker added 14 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots. Newman tallied 10 points, five assists and five steals. Edwards scored 8 points, and Kyle Wilson had 6 points and five boards, Jaxen Clark 2 points.

Durtsche also gave Anderson credit for taking on the challenge of defending Worland’s best player, Williams.

Two more at home

The Bulldogs will enjoy more home cooking next week when they host conference foe Powell Thursday and 2A powerhouse Thermopolis Saturday.

Third-ranked Powell (11-2, 1-1) has been strong this season and brings a quick, athletic team that loves to shoot the three-pointer. As the conference opponent, the Panthers were the focus of practice this week. But the Bulldogs have also lost to Thermop twice in two years, and they will want to reverse that trend.

“Our focus is Powell. That’s the conference game,” Durtsche said. “That being said, we’re glad we get another shot at Thermop. Powell is athletic. They’re a scrappy team. They shoot a lot of threes, and they shoot it pretty well. … Our on-ball defense has to be great, but so does our help defense.

“Conference or not, Thermopolis (11-3) is a very good basketball team that’s had our number recently, and we want to go out and play well. They match up with us pretty well. They’ve got a mentality. They’re winners. They’re defending state champion. They’ve got five pretty solid kids that have played together a long time.”

Tip-off times are 4 (JV) and 7 p.m. Thursday and 2:30 and 5:30 Saturday.