By Fred Kroner
The Bulldogs hit just 5 of 24 three-point attempts at home on Friday (Jan. 7) and suffered an Apollo Conference loss to Lincoln, 47-33.
M-S attempted just 13 non-three-pointers in the game.
Wyatt Bohm led the Bulldogs with 10 points and nine rebounds. Blake Wolters and Dayten Eisenmann both tallied six points.
Quenton Rogers ended with four rebounds and three steals.
Lincoln zipped into a 13-5 lead after one period, but M-S went into halftime with a 15-15 tie.
“We did not end the third quarter well, however, as Lincoln got loose for some clean three-point field goals and was able to convert them on consecutive possessions that opened up a lead (31-21) at the end of the third quarter,” M-S coach Ryan Bosch said. “In an attempt to come back, we got rushed offensively and had some unforced turnovers. We fought hard, but the short stretch to end the third was ultimately what opened the game up.”
On Saturday (Jan. 8), the Bulldogs’ hard-luck season continued with a 54-51 loss to Kankakee in the St. Joseph-Ogden Shootout.
The loss was the team’s sixth by no more than five points this season.
Wolters and Byron Lynch each scored 11 points for the Bulldogs. Wolters also registered four rebounds and three steals.
Rogers notched 10 points to go with a team-best five rebounds. Eisenmann netted nine points. Dream Eagle scored five points and posted a team-high five assists.
M-S led, 20-11 after one quarter and 29-23 at halftime. Kankakee carried a 42-40 edge into the final quarter.
“We came out of the gates strong,” Bosch said. “A second buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter made it 42-40 Kankakee.
“I feel really encouraged with where we’re headed. I believe in this team so much, and our play recently has been good. We need to be consistent to reach our ceiling and we’ve continued to make some mental errors that hurt us for short stretches.
“Against another really good team, those mistakes end up costing us. We sent them to the line for ‘and-1’s’ far too much tonight and we missed a lot of shots we earned in the paint that I expect our boys to make.”
M-S (8-9) returns to action on Thursday (Jan. 13) at Mattoon.
