Bulldogs keep on winning

HAMPTON— The wins keep on coming for the Hampton-Dumont-CAL boys basketball team as the Bulldogs defeated the Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Cowboys 70-47 on Jan. 5. to improve to 6-1 on the year and move their winning streak to six-games.

The two teams traded baskets in the first quarter as the Bulldogs led 7-5 and then a dunk by Brady Harr made it 9-5 with less than 5:00 left in the quarter. The Bulldogs then went on a 10-3 run capped off by a three-pointer by Gavin Meader to make it 17-8 with 1:30 left. The Bulldogs led 19-10 at the end of the first quarter. The teams traded baskets in the second quarter as both teams scored 18 points to make it a 37-28 game at halftime.

The Bulldogs outscored the Cowboys 16-13 in the third quarter to make it a 53-41 game and pulled away in the fourth quarter by outscoring the Cowboys 17-6.

Head coach Brian Niesen said that the team is trying to put together the best season that they can and keep stacking wins together.

“We’ve got a lot of games left and we are trying to enjoy every game and win as many as we can and finish as high as we can in the conference and get the best seed we can for sub-state,”  Niesen said.

The Bulldogs went 24-for-55 from the field including 7-for-14 from three-point range and 15-for-19 from the free-throw line.

Niesen said that hitting those free-throws is really important. 

“If you miss them it is kind of lack an energy zapper and if you make them it just puts more pressure on the other team,” Niesen said.

Scott Harr led the team with 21 points and scored his 1,000th career point in the win. Meader added 17 points, Tucker Heeren scored 16 points, Brody Walton scored eight points, Tate Murray and Samuel VanHorn both added three points, and Brady Harr added two points. The team had 14 assists in the game. Meader and Scott Harr led the team with four assists each, Heere added three assists, Walton, Brady Harr, and Grant Subbert all had one assist.

One thing that Niesen said he would like to see the team work on is their off the ball movement during the game.

“I want us to do a better job screening each other and making the dense off ball have to guard more action,” Niesen. “I want us to get better at that for sure.”

On defense, the Bulldogs had two blocks and seven steals. Heeren and Brady Harr both had one block. Walton and Scott Harr led the team with two steals each, Heeren, Meader, and Brady Harr all had one steal.

Niesen said he thinks the team is super confident for the rest of the season after the win.

“We’ve got some really tough teams left on our schedule,” Niesen said. “To go to 4-0 in our conference and win our sixth straight, we are just trying to keep building momentum and gaining confidence with every game.”

The team’s next game is on Jan. 12. at home against St. Edmond.