The Sulphur boys picked up two wins on the hardwood last week, losing only to a tough Plainview squad following a three-game stretch beginning last Tuesday.
The Dogs didn’t play their best game in their win at Madill in the first of their three games, but got the victory over Wildcats with an outstanding rebounding effort, said head coach Grant Bates.
That win was followed by an even tougher battle at Plainview where the Dogs ran into a hot-shooting Indian team and lost, 63-45.
Their final game of the stretch was at Marlow where Sulphur faced another tough road test and held on down the stretch for the win, 49-46.
Bulldog junior Bridge Barrett led the Dogs in scoring during the three games with 23, 17, and 15 in those games.
Sulphur 62, Madill 44 Tuesday, Jan. 28
Bates said Sulphur’s battle at Madill “wasn’t our cleanest performance of the year, but we were able to get a solid win against a conference opponent on the road.”
Barrett drained 23 points in the win, followed by Devin Wills 15, and Noah Carr 14, among the point leaders.
Bates said the game was a physical battle, but the Dogs got a big effort on the boards and held their best player to single digits.
Barrett also led in the Sulphur rebounding with 8, followed by Willis 7, and Colten Cole 6. Willis added 4 assists in the win.
Sulphur 45, Plainview 63 Friday, Jan. 31
By far their toughest game of the week was at Plainview. The Indians started off extremely hot from the three-point line and jumped out to a10-point lead in the first quarter.
“We couldn’t get anything to fall and a lot fell for them (shots) in the 1st half overall,” said Bates. “With their early lead, we had to try and make some in game adjustments and go away from the original game plan. We played better in the 2nd half but overall just did not play up to our standards.”
Barrett again was the point lead for Sulphur with 17, followed by Willis with 11. Willis led in rebounds with 7 and Carr chipped in with 2 assists.
Sulphur 49, Marlow 46 Saturday, Feb. 1
At Marlow in their final game of the week, the Dogs faced another strong road test against a quality team and matched the Outlaws physicality to get the win.
“Marlow is always in the mix for the state tournament in 3Aand are renowned as a very tough basketball team and having a tough environment to play in at their place,” Bates said. “We played extremely physical and tough throughout the game.”
The Dogs were plus three in rebounding vs. the Outlaws, but it’s a big stat indicator for the manner in which Marlow competes, according to Bates.
The Dogs drained some late free throws in the game from Willis and Carr and that helped push them over the top and secure the win, said Bates.
“I was extremely pleased with the resilience of our team Saturday night and their ability to bounce back after a tough loss from the night before,” the coach said. “Ethan Sales and Colten Cole really stepped up, and as a team we had a great mindset throughout the game.”
Barrett again was topped the Dodgs in points with a hardearned 15, followed by Willis with 12. Cole muscled his way in for 10 rebounds while Ethan Sales and Bridge Barrett chipped in with three assists each.
PHOTOS BY DON COFFEY Sulphur’s Colten Cole (5), above, and Ethan Sales (11), right photo, go up for short jumpers as the Dogs battled Plainview last Friday.
The Sulphur Bulldogs show off their third place trophy from the recent Washington Warrior tournament.
