The boys’ basketball team at King’s Fork High School defeated Salem High School 48-35 to close out the first day of the third annual King’s Fork Christmas Classic on Thursday at the Kennel.

It was a safe win for the Bulldogs, but not one in which head coach Josh Worrell saw much growth out of his team. In the past, the team has not been able to extend leads once it obtains them.

“It’s frustrating for them not to have a killer instinct,” Worrell said.

While the Bulldogs got up by 18 to 20 points, Worrell said they seemed to get complacent, keeping the game more interesting than it should have been.

He told his players, “We’ve got to play hard all the time and the longer you let teams stay around, the harder it’s going to be for you guys.”

Defensively, he said his team played well in spurts and also enjoyed second-chance opportunities with strong offensive rebounding.

“That was one of the few games we’ve had that, so hopefully that will transition over to tonight, as well,” he said on Friday, alluding to King’s Fork’s impending showdown with Woodside High School.

Junior Cornelius Norman led the Bulldogs with nine points, along with senior Ricky Scott, who also had nine points to go with three steals.

Worrell expressed a positive impression on how the Christmas Classic was going.

“Overall, crowds have been great,” he said. “Hopefully it continues.”

Good competition helps draw a crowd, and on Friday, he said, “Most of the games were pretty competitive yesterday, at least for a half or more.”

King’s Fork (7-2, 1-1) played Woodside on Friday night in the 7:30 p.m. game. With a loss, it will play today at 6 p.m. and with a win, it will play today at 7:30 p.m.