Bulldogs start season 4-0 with sweep

Lovell second-year coach Shane Durtsche learned a lot about his 2023-24 boys basketball team at the season-opening Bridger Valley Tournament, and after sweeping four games in Lyman and Mountain View, much of that knowledge is positive.
“Overall, I was pleased with the way we fought and competed, and I was pleased with our team chemistry,” Durtsche said. “We have a way to go. There are things to work on like team defense and continuity on offense. We need to cut down on turnovers, especially with Douglas looming this weekend. Part of that is that we’re trying to play a little faster brand (of basketball) this year.”
The Bulldogs beat Big Piney 64-60 and host Lyman 52-46 Friday in Lyman, then defeated Manila, Utah, 65-54 and host Mountain View 62-43 Saturday in Mountain View.
“We rebounded well,” Durtsche said when asked about positives on the weekend. “We outrebounded our two opponents on Saturday by double digits, probably by 25 to 30 rebounds in the two games.
“We shared the basketball pretty well on offense, and at times our man-to-man defense was pretty good. We stayed connected and talked.
First game
The Bulldogs got off the bus after a long drive and played a rested Big Piney Puncher team that had played the night before. As a result, Lovell trailed 34-24 at halftime and by 13 points, 40-27, early in the third quarter before battling back to win.
Senior Blake Wilson fired in 10 points in the third quarter as the Bulldogs outscored Big Piney 26-17 to cut the Puncher lead to one, 51-50, after three. Lovell clamped down on defense in the fourth and outscored Big Piney 14-9 to win by four. Wilson stayed hot, scoring 8 points in the fourth quarter.
“Big Piney is pretty athletic and physical, and they had some decent size,” Durtsche said. “I think they’ll make some noise in 2A. They got after it.
“They thumped Lyman the night before, so they had a game under their belt, and we had a long day on the bus…Blake was big in that game. He hit some big shots and really stepped up.”
Wilson finished with 21 points, Parker Anderson 12, Davin Crosby 11, Owen Walker 9, Matthew Newman 6 and Jared Mangus 5.
Lyman win
The Bulldogs made it two in a row with the 52-46 win over conference opponent Lyman Friday evening. Lovell came out strong to lead 15-5 after the first quarter, 28-22 at halftime and 45-33 after three quarters.
“We had a chance to bury them and led by close to 20 points early in the fourth quarter. Then I subbed a lot and gave the younger kids some playing time,” Durtsche said. “Lyman lost, like, seven seniors, and they were down a couple of kids until after Christmas, but they did have their top returners in Bradshaw and Smith. They’ll get better.
“I was pleased defensively. They hurt us with an elbow screen, but we did a better job with communication and hedging. Matthew (Newman) hit some threes and provided a spark offensively. It was good to beat a conference opponent on their own floor.”
Newman finished with 14 points, Walker and Anderson 9 each, Mangus 8, Crosby 5, Braxton Felkins 4 and Wilson 3.
Saturday pair
Saturday in Mountain View, Lovell controlled the game against Manila, Utah, leading 18-13 after one quarter, 34-21 at halftime and 51-31 after three quarters.
“They’re a scrappy team; they work hard,” Durtsche said. “They were playing something like their eighth game of the year. They’re a winning program in kind of a rebuild. They have a couple of kids who can play.
“We were up 13 at the half and 20 by the end of the third. Then I subbed again and gave young kids a chance to play. Owen (Walker) had a big game including his first varsity dunk. The dunk was OK, but what I liked was his aggression.”
Walker finished with 23 points, Newman and Wilson 9 each, Robert Romero 8, Crosby and Mangus 6 apiece, Anderson 3 and Felkins 1.
The Bulldogs controlled the final game against Mountain View from start to finish, leading 20-7 after the first quarter, 32-19 at halftime and 42-28 after three, then pulling away with a 20-15 fourth-quarter advantage.
“It was another conference opponent on their home floor,” Durtsche said. “They’re a scrappy team, but we jumped out 12-0 right out of the gate. It was a tough environment and our fourth game in two days.
“This was our best overall game at both ends of the floor. I haven’t seen the stats, but I’ll bet Owen had eight blocks. They didn’t have an answer for him inside.”
Durtsche noted that Anderson scored 11 points in the fourth quarter en route to a game high 19 points, adding, “Parker started to look like Parker.”
Crosby added 13 points, Wilson 11, Walker 10, Newman 5 and Kaeson Anderson and James Blau 2 each.
The Lovell junior varsity team also played to a 4-0 record in the Bridger Valley Tournament, beating Lyman 55-49 in overtime, Big Piney 54-46, Manila 47-42 and Mountain View 62-57.
East-West at Lander
The Bulldogs will travel to Lander for the boys East-West Tournament with the girls tournament in Douglas.
Lovell will open the tournament with a tough test in the form of top-ranked and state championship favorite Douglas at 3 p.m. Friday, then meet Pine Bluffs Saturday at 9 a.m. and Wheatland at 1:30 p.m. JV games are scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday and noon and 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
“Douglas is the absolute best team in the state, maybe the best team in any class,” Durtsche said. “It’ll be a good gauge for us, a good time to play them to see where we’re at.”
Pine Bluffs is a traditional 2A power, Durtsche noted, and Wheatland is a solid 3A team, he added.
Tuesday, the Bulldogs will travel to Cowley to meet the rival Rocky Mountain Grizzlies at 4 (JV) and 7 p.m.