Bulldogs' second quarter run dooms Leyton

After an early defensive battle the Bridgeport Bulldogs broke open a close game with Leyton in the second quarter to post a 60-36 win on Tuesday night in a non-district boys basketball contest.

Though Bridgeport hails from Class C2 and Leyton D2, the proximity of their towns has created a rivalry of sorts that goes back decades. The advantage in school size - at least in the present situation - has also led to an advantage in team size.

With the win the Bulldogs are now 10-1 on the year and maintain a 2-0 record in their district. Leyton's record slipped to 6-3 but the squad keeps their strong position in D2 12 at 3-1.

Though recognizing the talent of the team he just faced, Warriors Head Coach Gary Oltmann was disappointed his team did not put up a better showing.

"We've got to play better against good teams," said Oltmann. "All week long Coach (Steve) Schumacher was preaching 'You have to go inside and draw fouls' and we didn't do that."

For the game Bridgeport went to the foul line 27 times with 18 conversions. Leyton managed only nine trips to the line with six makes.

Late in the contest, however, Brennen Cruise and Dylan Brenner drove the lane with regularity. Cruise accounted for 10 points in the final quarter, including three layups on drives to the hoop. Brenner also scored on three layups and was fouled twice.

"Yeah, I wish I'd started (driving to the basket) sooner," said Cruise. "We can't let ourselves be intimidated by our opponents. We should have gone to the basket more instead of settling for jump shots."

For the first nine minutes of the game the Warriors battered Bridgeport to a low scoring draw at 6-6, which came about after Cruise hit a nice fade-away jumper. But Bridgeport broke the deadlock with a 14-2 run and never looked back.

The Bulldogs accomplished this by spreading the scoring load throughout their lineup. Wuentin Baxter and Leighton Freeze ended the half with three pointers for the home team to give them a 30-12 halftime lead. Three Bulldogs finished the night in double figures including Wyatt Pankowski (14), Jamie Gonzalez (13) and Kaleb DeCora (10).

The Warriors offensive woes continued through the second half, but they succeeded in slowing down the Bulldogs attack. The biggest Warriors highlight of the third came after a steal by Cruise who then fed Brenner for a fast-break duece. Cruise had the last offenisve say in the period with a three pointer.

In the final quarter Cruise and Brenner began taking more trips through the lane which brought them the layups and fouls Oltmann had been hoping for earlier. The fourth period scoring was as close as the first, but significantly more lively. Bridgeport edged Leyton 19-17 with the aid of a 6-1 spree to end the game.

"I don't think they're a better team than us, I just don't think we were running our plays very well," said Cody McKay. "Sometimes it comes down to mismatches and we found more at the end. In the second quarter we seemed to have that 'deer in the headlights' look."

The scorers for Leyton were led by Cruise with 17 and Brenner with 14. McKay and Drew Brenner added a pair each and James Rushman dropped in a foul shot.

The Warriors take on another local out-of-district rival on Friday when they travel to Potter-Dix High School to face the Coyotes.

Boys Basketball

Bridgeport 60

Leyton 36