Hot-handed Bulldogs down Hilltoppers in D-SC action

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by Joel DeWitt

Sports Correspondent

BOYCEVILLE — Coming into the January 17 matchup the Boyceville and Glenwood City boys’ basketball teams found themselves in similar situations. Combined the two teams were 1-9 in conference action and hungry for a win to move up in the standings.

Boyceville was the team that satisfied its hunger. The hot shotting Bulldogs held a slim halftime lead only to outscore the Hilltoppers by 20 second-half points to win 75-49 in front of an excited home crowd.

While Boyceville shot 48 percent from the field, most of their damage came from behind the three-point arc where they were 10-for-18 for a white-hot 56 percent. On top of the excellent shooting from the field they converted on 13-for-15 free-throws.

Along with the shooting percentage, the Bulldogs also held a decisive advantage in the rebounds. They out rebounded the Hilltoppers 33-20, including 20 offensive boards.

“Overall as a team, it was another great team win!” stated Boyceville head coach Colby Dotseth. “The whole team played very well and gave great minutes while on the floor. We played with great tempo and didn’t settle with shooting.”

“I believe this was the first time all year we shot over 50 percent from the three-point line and most of those shots were not forced,” Dotseth added. “We did a great job playing unselfish basketball and seeing the floor. As a team we also did a great job shutting down their leading scorers and owning the rebounds on both ends of the floor.”

Although the Bulldogs pulled out the 26-point victory, the contest was tight as expected for the first 18 minutes thanks in large part to the Hilltoppers’ Max Janson. The senior guard had a season high 24 points on the evening, going 7-for-9 from the field including 4-for-5 on 3-pointers.

Boyceville controlled the opening tip and Nick Olson started things off right away with a  three pointer to give his team the early lead.

The early three pointer didn’t deter the Toppers. Morgan Eggert found an open Elek Anderson in the lane for an easy bucket to cut the Bulldog lead to 3-2.

Janson drove to the bucket on the Topper next possession gave his team the 4-3 lead. Janson followed that up moments later when he drained a  three pointer from the left elbow and the 7-3 advantage.

Mason Bowell’s bucket, along with a couple Bulldogs free-throws, tied the score at 7-7. Chase Hollister gave the Bulldogs the lead at 9-7 on a five-foot jumper.

Glenwood City jumped ahead again on another  three pointer from Janson. The 10-9 lead would be their final of the evening. The Toppers did tie the score at 19-19 on a Jayden Quinn layup, however the Bulldogs offense began to take over the game.

Boyceville went on a 12-6 run the remainder of the half, with  three pointers playing a major role. Caden Wold’s long three pointer put the Bulldogs up for good. Simon Evenson’s three pointer prior to the halftime buzzer put Boyceville up 31-25 and handed them all the momentum.

The second half started much like the first ended, with the Bulldogs extending their lead. Devin Halama started the scoring with a drive and the bucket. He followed that up a few possessions later with a corner  three pointer to put his team up 11 at 36-25.

The Toppers cut the lead to eight at 43-35 on an Anderson jumper from the elbow, but the Bulldog offense proved to be too tough on the evening.

A three pointer by Evenson followed by a steal and score by Wold put Boyceville up 13 points. A corner three pointer by Olson moments later continued the run and put the Bulldogs on the path to victory.

Boyceville outscored Glenwood 32 to 14 down the stretch and cruised to the final of 75-49. The win improved Boyceville’s record to 7-6 (2-4). The loss left the Hilltoppers at 2-9 (0-6) at the midway mark of the season.

The Bulldogs registered five players with double-digit points. Evenson paced his team with 15 points, including a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range. Wold was right behind with 14 points. Halama had 11, while Olson and Corbin Krenz each had ten points.

“I believe this is the first game of the year that we had five players score double digits, which shows how we played as a team and played so unselfish,” stated Dotseth.

Besides Janson’s 24-point effort, Anderson was the only other Hilltopper in double digits with 12 on the evening.

“We talked about making a statement as Glenwood got the better of us last year and we wanted to make a point that we wouldn’t allow that to happen again this season,” concluded Dotseth.

Both teams have a full slate of games for this week.

Boyceville plays two of its next three contests at home which began with a non-conference game against Eleva-Strum this past Monday, January 23. The following night, the Bulldogs go to Clayton before returning to the Dog House on Thursday, January 26 to host conference co-leader Durand-Arkansaw. Boyceville will wrap up its January schedule next Tuesday the 31st with a D-SC contest in Spring Valley.

Meanwhile, Glenwood City travels to Elk Mound this Thursday before returning home to play Amery on Friday, January 27 and Elmwood-Plum City next Tuesday, January 31.