A late turnover proved costly as the Bulldog boys’ varsity basketball team lost to the Xavier Hawks on Saturday, Dec. 28, by a score of 47-50.
“We missed several good shots in the third quarter and played poor defense which allowed Xavier to take a big lead in the second half,” said Coach Ken Jagiello. “However, we played a great fourth quarter, tying the game with 1:50 to play. We were working for the last shot and had it down to about 40 seconds when we had a turnover which led to a Xavier score. We set up a last second play but had another turnover and had to foul. Xavier made one out of two and our last-second half-court shot did not go in.”
Jacob Pinch led New London with 11 points and six rebounds. Ryan Wolf and Sam Porath both scored eight, Tyler Jagiello and Nick Thomas both scored six, Ty Barrington added five, and Ryan Krueger contributed three points.
Xavier outrebounded New London, 29-24. The Hawks also forced 16 turnovers and nabbing five steals.
New London made 16 of 45 shots (36 percent) and 6 of 18 from 3-point range (33 percent). The Bulldogs also made 9 of 12 free throws (75 percent).
Xavier made 19 of 47 shots (40 percent) and 3 of 20 from 3-point range (15 percent). The Hawks made just 9 of 23 free throw attempts (39 percent).
“Even with that bad third quarter, the kids did not give up. They fought back hard to tie and we had a chance to win,” said Jagiello. “We have to learn to finish games.”
Waupaca 51
New London 41
The Bulldogs varsity came up on the short end of a 41-51 result in their game against the Waupaca Comets on Friday, Jan. 3, in Waupaca.
The Comets shot a blistering 53 percent from the field, while New London made 16 of 44 shots (36 percent). New London had a slight advantage from behind the 3-point arc, making 8 of 23 attempts (35 percent), while Waupaca made 3 of 13 (23 percent).
The Bulldogs attempted just two free throws during the entire game, making one. Waupaca took 16 shots from the charity stripe, making 12 (75 percent).
Waupaca outrebounded New London 20-15, but turned the ball over 10 times, versus New London’s nine. The Comets blocked two shots and committed just nine fouls, while New London was whistled for 18 fouls.
Porath led New London with 11 points, while Pinch added 10. Barrington dropped in six points, Thomas added four, Krueger and Wolf both scored three, and Jagiello and Nick Konertz both scored two. Thomas and Jagiello both picked up four fouls, while Porath and Wolf were saddled with three.
“They are a very physical team and we stayed close,” said Coach Ken Jagiello. “We missed some great shots, had a few questionable calls, and then had to foul. They made their free throws to keep their lead.”
The Bulldogs play at home on Tuesday, Jan. 14. Opening tip is set for 7:15.