Bulldogs snag conference road win
Published 8:22 pm Friday, January 13, 2017
The King’s Fork High School boys’ basketball team traveled to Churchland High School on Thursday and got a win in a Conference 17 matchup.
It was the third conference win of the season for the Bulldogs, who are now 3-0 in conference play and have gotten off to a good start, with most games the rest of the season being conference games.
King’s Fork grabbed a 60-52 win. Bulldogs coach Josh Worrell liked the way his team competed on the road.
“I think we played well together and were unselfish with the basketball,” Worrell said. “We didn’t play as well defensively as we wanted to, but we made free throws and did a good job closing out the game.”
At the end of the first quarter, the Bulldogs were up 13-12. After a back-and-forth second quarter, the Bulldogs were able to go into halftime with a five-point lead. Worrell told his team at halftime that they needed to come out strong in the third quarter. Churchland was able to swing momentum back their way as they won the third quarter. KFHS went into the fourth quarter with a two-point lead.
“I told the guys, ‘Hey, here’s the deal, you win the fourth quarter you win the game; you lose the fourth and you lose the game,’” Worrell said. “It was pretty simple. However, they responded well and did what they were supposed to do.”
The Bulldogs had four players in double figures Thursday night. James Hatton and Leontre Bailey had 16 points each for the Bulldogs. Raemaad Wright added 12 points, and Byron Lawrence scored 11 points.
“We could have played better, but we had multiple players in double figures,” Wright said. “It’s hard to beat a team when all your assets can produce. I think that was the difference between Churchland and us.”
By the end of Saturday night, the Bulldogs will have played three games in three days. The Bulldogs believe if they continue to play well and stay fundamentally sound, they have a chance to continue to be successful.
“We can get better by correcting the simple mistakes and being better on and off the court,” Wright said. “We are a good basketball team and are striving to be a great one. I think our team is in great shape to play back-to-back games without it having a significant impact on our games.”
King’s Fork will play Smithfield High School 8:15 p.m. at home in the King’s Fork Invitational on Saturday. Smithfield is currently 12-1, and this can be a good matchup for both teams. The King’s Fork Invitational will be $10 for anyone 12 and older and $6 for 11 and under.