Bulldogs End Season with Win

PASCO - The Dayton Boys Varsity basketball team ended their 2013 season on a high note with a 57-55 cliff-hanger win over Tri Cities Prep on Saturday.

"It was a great way to end their year," Bulldogs head coach Roy Ramirez said. "They did a great job finish- ing that game."

Plagued by second-half scoring slumps for most of the season, the Bulldogs displayed one of their strongest after-the-half rallies yet, outscoring the Jaguars 19-12 in the third quarter and holding on to their lead until the bitter end.

TCP outscored Dayton 13-10 in the first quarter, a fairly typical first-period outcome for the Bulldogs, Ramirez said. Towards the end of the quarter, the coach put in junior Cruz Ramirez, whom joined senior Wyatt Frame on a bucket-burning rampage in the second and third periods. Wyatt's total for the game was a team- high 30 points, followed by Cruz Ramirez's 20.

Frame scored 10 points in the second quarter, including a 2-point field goal on the buzzer that put his team just ahead of the Jaguars 28-27.

Going into the locker room, the Bulldogs "felt pretty good," coach Ramirez said. But they had been here before in many previous games, being just behind or just ahead during half time, he noted.

"They were happy with their comeback," the coach said. "We were right where we always were. I reminded them this was their last game of the season and told them to play as hard as they could and have fun."

The team also make the strategic decision to change exploit the Jaguars' zone coverage, letting Cruz Ramirez pass the ball from the top to the shooters and scramblers on the wings. Frame, Ramirez and senior Isaiah Lambert each had treys in the third quarter - above average for a single quarter. Ramirez alone was responsible for 9 of the Dogs' 19 third-period points.

"I was happy with the re- silience they showed there," coach Ramirez said. "It was a pretty good back-and-forth game all night. There was good basketball on both sides."

The Jags staged a comeback during the fourth quar- ter, outscoring the Dogs 15-10, mostly oby dominating rebounds and scrambles under the basket.

"They made a lot of touch shots," the coach said about TCP. "Every shot was con- tested (by both teams)."

With 10 seconds on the clock, Jaguar Jorge Gua- jardo drained the bucket with a trey that evened the score 55-55. The Bulldogs regained possession and the coach called a timeout when Frame reached halfway down the Jaguars' side of the court, leaving 5 seconds on the clock.

When the game resumed, Frame was double-teamed, but got a pass off to Cruz Ramirez who made a 2-point field goal inside the key and left just 1 second in the game.

"It was a bit of a justifica- tion," the coach said about the photo finish at the Jags' home court. "All year, they felt they could compete. They could just never fin- ish their games. I'm really proud of them for the way they came up that second half, happy for the seniors that they got a win."

The Bulldogs end their season 4-16 overall and 3-7 in league, results Ramirez feels do not really reflect the progress his team made dur- ing the season.

Coming in on the heels of a 2012 team that made it to Spokane for the state tour- nament, the 2013 team had a tough act to follow. With Frame being the only player with significant varsity ex- perience, coach Ramirez said he realized the coaches had to give the new starters and players their "own iden- tity" from the start.

"I knew it would be a struggle," he said about a group of seniors who had to follow in the shadow of a group of seniors who also performed exceptionally well in fall and spring sports.

But he reminded the younger Dogs that they themselves made the older boys the competitors they became from facing them in practice over the years.

And as the year unfolded, the 2013 team got progressively better, particularly towards the end. The effort and "heart" were always there, the coach said.

"They came along re- ally, really well," he said. "Too bad we didn't have an opportunity to continue (in playoffs)."