King’s Fork High School’s boys’ basketball team got its second conference win of the season this week.

The Bulldogs won 57-32 over Wilson Tuesday night. The win gave the team its second conference win before the new year. Its first one was against Great Bridge.

“It was a good win,” Bulldogs coach Josh Worrell said. “Anytime you can separate yourself from the other teams in the conference is good. The more you can separate earlier on, the easier it is to stay in that spot, even if you lose a game or two, because you have a head up.”

James Hatton led the way for the Bulldogs with 13 points, six rebounds and six steals. Raemaad Wright added another double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. This win comes in the Bulldogs’ final game before the holiday break, and the Bulldogs are hoping this win will help them going forward into the new year.

“That game was really important for us,” Hatton said. “It was a conference game, and we needed the win that gives us some momentum heading into Christmas.”

Last Saturday, King’s Fork lost to Tallwood in their invitational game, so the game against Wilson was an opportunity to bounce back. Worrell called the loss to Tallwood a wakeup call. It was a lesson that if the team doesn’t come out to play hard every single game, they can get beat. For King’s Fork, it’s better to have those games now than in the middle or end of the season.

“The guys knew their effort wasn’t good Saturday,” Worrell said. “It worked them up to come back out there Tuesday. They realize they have to come out and play every night. Any given night, you can get beat. Those games can kind of be a blessing in disguise.”

The Bulldogs sit at 6-2 overall, and Worrell likes where his team is going into the Christmas break.

“This team is really playing for each other,” he said. “They are buying into the team concept. No one is being selfish. Everyone is playing together.”

In the future, the Bulldogs want to improve on their free throw shooting so they can win close games. A close game against Western Branch earlier this season could have been a win for the Bulldogs with improved free throw shooting.

King’s Fork will host a holiday tournament on Dec. 29. They will play Grafton High School at 8 p.m.