Second half surge gives Dodgers first win

Dodgeville’s boys basketball team erased the effects of a 24-13 first half deficit with a 19-0 run to start the second half.

The run did not put the Dodgers in control though, as Richland Center played some catch up and regained the lead with four minutes to play.

But the 44-41 margin was erased by an 11-4 difference that gave the Dodgers a 52-48 win over the Hornets. The win was their first victory of the season and a big win in SWC play.  

A huge three pointer by reserve Alex LaMere and some clutch free throws by Noah Pittz clinched the win. LaMere’s trey gave the Dodgers a 49-46 lead and Pittz’s three gift shots sealed the win.

Pittz led the Dodgers with 15 points, John McGraw put in 13 and Reilly Berg nine.

Wes Bosworth led the Hornets with 14 with a strong effort under the basket and Treyton Schoepp added 12 points on four three pointers.

“This game was a tale of two halves,” said Dodgeville coach Matt McGraw. “The first half we  were tentative and soft. The second half we were intense and much more effective.”

A discussion at halftime proved beneficial for what the second half brought to the Dodgers.

“Our fairly inexperienced group grew up a little bit tonight,” said McGraw. “We had a pretty intense halftime talk and the guys definitely got challenged.”

What happened after the talk?

“They responded well,” McGraw said.  “It was good to see us play with the intensity and confidence it takes to win games.”  

“Noah, John and Reilly had solid second halves with scoring and Ben Haakenson and Reilly really controlled the boards.”   

There was also a strong defensive effort from Brady Jabs that helped the Dodgers get the win.

“Brady held their best scorer to three points in the second half,” McGraw added. 

“Alex had one of the most clutch shots of the night hitting a late three to give us the lead,” McGraw said.

“We played with a lot more grit in the second half,” McGraw said. “I am proud of how the guys responded after halftime.”

SCORE BY HALVES

Dodgeville            13    39    52

Richland Center  24    24    48

BOX SCORE

DODGEVILLE 52: (fg-ft-tp) McGraw 5-2-13, Crubaugh-Lockard 0-3-3, Berg 4-1-9, Jabs 2-0-4, Haakenson 1-2-5, Honerbaum 0-0-0, LaMere 1-0-3, Pittz 5-5-15 Totals 18-13/28-52 Fouls-9

RICHLAND CENTER 48: Clarson 2-0-5, J. Schoepp 3-0-9, Dosch 1-0-3, T. Schoepp 4-0-12, Fingerson 1-0-2, Weiss 1-1-3, Bosworth 6-2 14. Totals 17-3/6-48. Fouls-21. Fouled out-Clarson

3 point goals:

D-McGraw 1, Haakenson 1, LaMere 1

RC-J. Schoepp 3, T. Schoepp 4, Clarson 1, Dosch 1