Bulldogs crush Trojans 75-40, move to 13-0

By ARIY-EL BOYNTON, Sports Editor 02/05/2010

The No.3 ranked, defending state champion Madison Bulldogs had 10 of 12 players score as they defeated the West Central Trojans 75-40 at the Dakota State University Fieldhouse on Thursday.

"That was probably the best first half we've played all year," said Bulldogs Coach Michael Ricke. "The guys came out focused, played with a lot of intensity, and really got after the Trojans from the start."

Mike Wenk netted 13 points and Seth Wolles added 11 for the Trojans, who saw their record drop to 6-8.

But the Bulldogs (13-0 on the season) held West Central to 27 points after three quarters.

"Our defense was phenomenal tonight," said Ricke. "We forced West Central into 24 turnovers and had 18 steals -- many of which led directly to baskets for our team."

After the first quarter, Madison led 24-10. That blossomed to a 42-16 halftime advantage.

Derrick Wiebe, who went 7-of-11 from the field, and Mitch White were the top scorers for Madison with 14 points apiece.

"Offensively, we were very balanced and were really looking to make the extra pass to the open guy," said Ricke. "We had seven players with six or more points, and had 24 assists as a team. That balance and unselfishness is what makes us a good team and will be what helps us to have continued success as the season progresses."

Cam Shafer scored 10 points, Mitch Benson nine and Michael Sullivan eight for Madison. Bulldog senior David Schreiber contributed seven points, five steals, two assists and two rebounds.

"David Schreiber really played well in this game," Ricke said. "His defensive intensity early in the game really got us going and he got five steals in the game. He also finished with seven points, going 3-for-3 from the field," said Ricke.

The Bulldogs will host Vermillion on Friday (tonight) at 7:30 p.m. in the DSU Fieldhouse for the annual Seizing South Dakota Night (Bulldog season passes will not be honored).

"We finish up a tough week of basketball with our third straight Big 8 conference game against Vermillion Friday," said Ricke. "It will be important that we come out in that game with the same focus and intensity that we had tonight. We were able to play a lot of kids a lot of minutes tonight, so fatigue should not be an issue. We just need to come out and take care of business."

JV moves to 11-0

The junior varsity Bulldogs trounced West Central 58-33 to move to 11-0 on the season.

"We had 11 players score for us. It was another good team win for us," said JV Coach William Thurow. "I thought that tonight we played with the most passion and intensity of any game this season.

``We were really running the floor hard tonight and played our best `team' defense of the season."

Taylor Bloom led the way for the Dogs with 15 points.

"Taylor Bloom keeps getting better offensively. He is looking for his shot more and is willing to step out and shoot from 15 feet," said Thurow.

The Dogs are doing a good job of limiting scoring opportunities for their opponents, he said.

"I give Laker Thompson a lot of the credit for the improvement we are showing defensively. His teammates recognize what a big effect he has on the game on the defensive end, and they are following his lead," said Thurow. "Players are developing a better understanding of what we mean by defending early, giving backside help or jumping to the ball.

``You can tell that the team is beginning to take more pride in being good defensively."

Logan Wray scored eight points, Mitch Gehrels seven, Matt DeBilzan six and Kyle Roemen five points for MHS.

Freshmen win again

The Madison freshman team picked up a 37-30 victory over West Central, but it wasn't very pretty.

"We played just well enough to win this one," said freshman coach Mike Materese.

Tyler Wiebe led the way with 10 points. Braxton Olson and Brandon Schrepel added eight points apiece.

"I was disappointed because we played so well our last game, but I think we took a step backward tonight,' said Materese. "We will have to regroup because we play Vermillion on Friday with no time to practice before our game."

Mason Sullivan scored seven points in the win. Eli Roemen and Jacob Ricke contributed two points each.

The Dogs will play at 4:45 p.m. at the DSU Fieldhouse.

©Madison Daily Leader 2010