Mixed Results For Dayton Boys

DAYTON - Dayton's boys' basketball team came out well (though not in perfect condition) in its two nonleague games last week. The Bulldogs sparred against Lacrosse-Washtucna and Kiona-Benton Wednesday and Thursday at home in the team's annual Christmas Tournament.

Against the Lacrosse- Washtucna Tigercats, on Dec. 29, the Bulldogs came out ahead. The final score against this 2B sports combine was 53-43.

"I was expecting a challenging game," said Bulldogs head coach Roy Ramirez, who said the Tigercats were a tough, though young, team last year. "But we really came out fast and strong."

The Bulldogs were up 19 points at the end of the first quarter. In the second and third quarters, the Tigercats worked hard to catch up, but they just couldn't outmatch the Dayton squad.

"As you can tell by the score, we really pushed the ball hard in the first half," Ramirez said. "We got a lot of points on transition."

The Bulldogs fell a little flat in the second half, which allowed Lacrosse-Washtucna to catch up.

Overall Dayton's players had an excellent night. Junior Garret Turner scored 22 points, while Wyatt Frame racked 10 points and Kroft Sunderland made 7, Colton Bickelhaupt 6, and Dain Henderson 4.

Gaining a win Wednesday, the Bulldogs advanced to the championship round of the tournament on Thursday, playing 1A school Kiona- Benton.

The Bulldogs fought hard and managed to keep up with the bigger team. In the third quarter, Dayton was down by just one point. But the Bears got a final edge over the Bulldogs and took away the championship with a final score of 46-42.

"Against these guys we didn't shoot the ball very well from both the field and the free-throw line," Ramirez said.

But the coach was proud of his team for being persistent.

"When you shoot 28 percent from the field and 46 percent at the line, you're usually getting beat by 15 or 20 points. But the boys really stuck it out, played really hard, and were able to stay up."

In addition trouble shooting the ball Thursday, Dayton faced a tough opponent. The Bulldogs beat the Bears last year, however.

"I do have to give Kiona- Benton credit for being really fast and big," Ramirez said. "It was a good game."

The Bulldogs have a 4-5 record so far this year. Ramirez said he's not thinking about the overall record at this point. He's got his eyes on the team's league record, which is 0-2.

"We've only played two league games so far this season, and they were the two toughest teams in the league," he said.

The Bulldogs have two more league games coming up later this week. They host Walla Walla Valley Academy at home on Thursday and travel to Liberty Christian on Saturday.

"Those are wins we have to have," Ramirez said, though he believes his boys have played strong. "We've only lost by five points or less in those games. Is anybody really blowing us out of the water? No, they're not."