Hampton-Dumont-CAL boys basketball prepares for second half of season

The first half of the season might not have gone the way the Hampton-Dumont-CAL Bulldogs boys basketball team would have like record wise as the Bulldogs entered the winter break with a record of 1-5. But head coach Brian Niesen said that said that he thought the team had some good moments in the first half but that they have to focus on being more consistent.

“I feel like when our halfcourt defense gets set that was probably our strength in the first part of the season,” Niesen said. “On offense we have to do a better job of finishing at the rim and taking care of the ball and those are things that we will keep working on throughout the season.”

The Bulldogs had their first game back from break on Jan. 6. in a matchup against North Butler.

During the second half of the year, limiting turnovers is something that Niesen said he would like to see the team work on.

“No one wants to turn it over and just teaching kids why a certain turnover happened and trying to learn from our mistakes,” Niesen said. “I think our kids have been very coachable and are willing to get better in that area. That will make everything better if we can limit our turnovers and get more shots on offense and give our defense a chance to set up.”

One positive for the Bulldogs that Niesen said he thinks the team can carry over for the second half of the season is how they played while on halfcourt defense.

“Our halfcourt defense in most games has been good and has kept us in it,” Niesen said. “Teams go on a run when we have multiple turnovers in a row so getting that defense set has been a plus for us. Rebounding over all has been really good for us. Brady Harr and Caden Woods have been good for us especially and Aaden Keehn has done a good job on the glass. Those are strengths that we can build on right there.”

There are multiple players who have stood out to Niesen so far.

“Brady Harr has been really good on both ends,” Niesen said. “He is our leading scorer and rebounder and assists guy, Caden Woods has had some good scoring and rebounding nights, and Tramaine Horton has shown the ability to score the ball, same as Connor Miller. Then we have young Conner Miller who is a sophomore who has been climbing up the depth chart as well as he has been playing well.”

With a large turnaround in the roster compared to last season, Niesen said that he thinks the players have adjusted to the difference in playing time.

“We told them that it could be a flow,” Niesen said. “Some nights you might play a lot more than others and there are a couple of sophomores that are climbing up the depth chart as well. We are trying to figure it out and lots of kids are pretty similar in their early skill levels so we are trying to figure it out and figure out which combination is right. We told them that it could change game by game and if there is a group of five that gets hot out there we are definitely going to keep them in.”

The team’s next game is at home on Jan. 10. against Algona at 7:45 p.m.