The #13(3A) Hampton-Dumont-CAL girls basketball team extended their season opening win streak to seven straight games and the Bulldog boys lost their third straight in North Central Conference play as part of a doubleheader at St.Edmond in Fort Dodge on Friday, as aired on 104.9 KLMJ.
In the girls game, H-D-CAL’s full-court pressure got to the Gaels early and allowing them to inch ahead to a 14-9 through one quarter. The Bulldogs increased their lead in the second quarter by attacking the rim to 28-19 heading into the half. In the third quarter, St.Edmond rallied to get within four of the Bulldogs at 33-29 inside of three minutes left. Jordan Valley answered with a clutch three and the Bulldogs added another basket to increase the lead back to nine heading to the fourth. The Bulldogs only allowed five points to the Gaels in the fourth to lock down the win.
Head Coach Miranda Stafford on hard fought road win and recovery playing back to back days.
“St. Ed’s plays hard, that’s why I told our girls, they’re gonna rebound hard, everything they do is at full speed. Tonight, wore on them a little bit. We talked about some things we need to do to get a recovery and to be ready to go tomorrow. Lily wasn’t 100%. Got a few girls just not feeling 100%. So to come out and play hard, I was proud of that,” says Stafford. “Saint Ansgar is gonna be tired, they’re kind of in the same boat. They’ve got a hot start. We gotta travel there. It’s our first back-to-back game on a Saturday afternoon. Those Saturday games are out of routine and you’ve got some excuses in your pocket if you want them. I think the girls will recover tonight to be ready to go.”
Three Bulldogs finished in double figures including Jordan Valley with 14 points including two triples, Brooklyn Valley with 11 points and two triples, and Charlee Morton had 10 points.
In the boys game, the Bulldogs kept it a tight game in the first half, as the Gaels largest lead was 27-23 at the half. The Gaels picked up the tempo in the third quarter outscoring the Bulldogs 26-8, for a 53-31 lead heading to the fourth and allowed only four points to the Bulldogs in the fourth to remain unbeaten.
Head Coach Brian Niesen on difference maker in loss to Gaels and opportunity to play one more time before break.
“I thought we played overall a really good first half. When our defense was set in the first half, I really liked what we did. I thought we guarded them really well, just like we were supposed to. We had some turnovers and some careless turnovers. Some were caused by St.Ed’s ball pressure, some were just us being careless that helped them get out in transition. We lost some effort and some focus in the third quarter as well to go with those turnovers. It just kind of snowballed on us and got out of hand,” says Niesen. “I feel like if we play up to our capabilities, there’s a good chance we can end on a positive note. I’m excited that we get one more to try to get a good taste in our mouth before the winter break.”
Brady Harr was the only Bulldog in double figures with 10 points, followed by Connor Miller and Tramaine Horton with seven points apiece.
The H-D-CAL girls (7-0) and the Bulldog boys (1-4) will return to court on Saturday afternoon at Saint Ansgar for a non-conference doubleheader to conclude the first half of the season. Coverage on 104.9 KLMJ begins at 1:50 p.m. followed by the opening tip at 2:00 p.m.
