Bloom-Carroll finishes strong to upend Highland

CARROLL – When a team is as patient as Highland, Bloom-Carroll had to make some adjustments on Saturday.

The visiting Fighting Scots would run at least a minute off the clock on each possession, with players making cuts all over the floor. It led to a low-scoring first quarter, but the Bulldogs were finally able to get some stops on defense, and more importantly, they started knocking down shots, especially from 3-point range.

Bloom-Carroll made nine 3s for the game, including seven in the second half. The Bulldogs were able to steadily pull away for a 63-45 Division II district tournament win at Tom Petty Gymnasium.

With the victory, the Bulldogs (16-7) secured a second-round home game. They will host Big Walnut at 7 p.m. Thursday. The Eagles upset No. 8 seed Lakewood.

The biggest thing the Scots did was make the Bulldogs play defense for long periods of time, and it seemed to bother Bloom-Carroll on the offensive end.

At the end of the first quarter, Bloom-Carroll held a 7-6 lead. The Bulldogs started picking things up in the second quarter when they went on a 9-0 run to take an 18-8 lead. But the Scots (8-15) answered with a 10-3 run to cut the deficit to 21-18 with 45 seconds left in the half.

Grant Dozer hit a 3 and Andrew James made two free throws in the final 20 seconds to give Bloom-Carroll a 26-18 lead at halftime.

The Bulldogs still couldn't put the Scots away, though. Bloom-Carroll led 43-31 heading into the fourth quarter.

After Highland cut the margin to 43-36 early in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs finished with a bang, hitting four 3s in the fourth quarter. Dozer hit back-to-back 3s to push the Bulldogs' lead to 51-37 with five minutes left.

"When you miss, you have to play defense harder, but a lot of times when you start knocking down some shots, it takes care of the other side of the court," Bulldogs coach Tom Petty said. "When that happens, you start playing better.

"They were face-guarding Andrew and that allowed some other guys to get some looks. When we reverse the ball at least once or twice, then we usually get some good looks and when we do that, we are pretty good."

Bloom-Carroll was efficient, as it made 18 of 31 shots from the field, including and an amazing 11 of 14 (78 percent) in the second half.

Dozer, who finished with 14 points, made four 3s, including two in the fourth quarter. He was 4 of 5 from beyond the arc.

"They were falling, and when that happens, you gain some confidence, so I kept shooting," Dozer said. "As a team, we did a much better job on defense in the second half. We were a lot more disciplined."

James had a solid all-around game, and made a living at the free throw line. He finished with a game-high 23 points, had seven assists and six rebounds. He made 14 of 15 from the free throw line.

Sam Bordner added with 14 points, including 13 in the second half. He finished with four 3s.

twilson@lancastereaglegazette.com

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