MONTESANO — The Bulldogs exacted revenge from an earlier loss this season to Winlock, as they came away with a 45-34 SWW 1A League Evergreen Division win here Friday night in boys basketball action.
Cardinal coach Ross Hojem attributed the downfall to early foul trouble on the block.
“One of my bigs got two fouls in the first minute,” he said. “The other got three fouls in two minutes. That put a lot of pressure on us.
“We couldn’t match them man to man,” Hojem added. “We had to switch to a zone, and they worked us down the stretch. And when my bigs returned, they never really got a feel for the game after sitting for so long.”
Winlock still battled, however, to bring the deficit to just 3 points in the fourth quarter.
“We had our opportunities,” Hojem said. “And the kids played hard. It’s the same achilles heel we’ve had all year with our lack of experience.”
Only one Cardinal scored over 4 points in the game, and that was Bryson Coleman with 16. He also collected a team-high six rebounds.
Hojem commended the play of senior Nick Hovan (3 points), who played his last game as a Cardinal after suffering a broken wrist in practice Thursday night.
“He still demanded to play,” Hojem said. “The doctor said it was up to Nick. So we taped it and braced it, and he played three quarters of the game. He’s just a battler.”
The Cardinals ended their season with a 2-18 record (2-12 league), and are hoping the lack of experience this season will be a positive for 2010-11.
“I think our last four or five games we were a lot better,” Hojem said. “And our youth will be a positive thing for us next year. We worked through a lot of frustration this season.
“We had some close games that we lost,” the coach added. “And other games we barely got off the bus. But through it all, these kids never quit and I’m really happy for that. It was a lot of fun.
“Once we understand the game — and each other — better, we can do some damage next year.”
