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Dodger boys handcuff Jags

-Messenger photo by Britt KudlaTrey Mosley of Fort Dodge goes up for a shot against Ankeny Centennial on Tuesday

On paper, the Fort Dodge boys have been the type of team their opponents don’t necessarily see coming.

The Dodgers are also turning into a program that no one wants to play down the stretch of the season.

Behind another stout defensive effort, Fort Dodge earned its fourth consecutive victory here on Tuesday with a lock-down 50-37 triumph over Ankeny Centennial. Head coach Tom Daniel’s Dodgers (11-7 overall) assured themselves of a winning record heading into the playoffs later this month by holding an opponent under 45 points for the third straight time.

”This group continues to buy into each other and the idea of building an identity around its defensive (performance),” Daniel said. ”We don’t have any size to speak of (for all intents and purposes, Fort Dodge starts five guards). We aren’t much of a three-point shooting team (the Dodgers are only at 30 percent on the year from behind the arc). But our guys are accepting their roles and playing with both a physical and mental toughness that I think sometimes catches our opponents off guard.

”We don’t care about style points or winning pretty. And to our kids’ credit, there’s no selfishness in terms of shots or minutes or anything else. At this level, in this day and age, that’s incredibly rare. And as a coach, that makes me incredibly proud of nights and (squads) like this.”

Fort Dodge made its first six shots from the floor in taking a 15-5 lead right out of the gate, and the Dodgers never looked back. Even when a 16-point third-quarter advantage was trimmed to six early in the fourth, FDSH closed the door by surrendering only six points in the last seven minutes of action.

Malcolm Clayton had 12 points despite missing 9 of his final 11 shot attempts. Junior Jace Peterson turned in a solid overall performance with nine points and five rebounds, and both senior Aaron Porter and junior Malihk Lockman gave the Dodgers productive minutes off the bench.

”A lot of stuff we do well doesn’t necessarily show up in a box score or on the stat sheet,” Daniel said. ”Jace, Aaron and Malihk gave us really good minutes. We always preach that it’s not about the quantity of minutes, but quality. These guys understand that, which again, is unique.

”Trey hit some huge shots right out of the chute that got us going. Being up by double digits early against a (fellow) defensive-minded team like this was huge. I think it kind of took them out of their gameplan. And Malcolm was nothing short of spectacular defensively against (Jaguar leading scorer) Hunter Strait (who was 2 of 10 from the field for five points). He’d been averaging over 17 a game, and Centennial had been playing really good basketball (winners in 12 of 15 overall before Tuesday). Holding them to 37 points is really something we can hang our hat on. Our energy defensively was relentless and outstanding.”

Fort Dodge faces seventh-ranked Johnston (15-3) at home on Friday at 7:45 p.m. One more victory in the final three contests — the Dodgers close at Des Moines Roosevelt and Ames — would give the program its first back-to-back winning seasons in 29 years.

”That’s an (immediate goal) we’ve been targeting,” Daniel said. ”It’s been an elusive (achievement) since I’ve been here and in the 20 or so years before that, even. Really, since we joined the CIML.

”We’re going to keep believing in the process and each other. That’s all we can do, and as a (coaching) staff, all we can ask.”

FORT DODGE 50,

ANKENY CENTENNIAL 37

Fort Dodge — Trey Mosley 6-10 0-0 15, Malcolm Clayton 5-12 2-2 12, Jace Peterson 3-6 3-3 9, Jordan Jackson 3-10 0-0 7, Tysen Kershaw 1-2 1-2 3, Aaron Porter 1-4 0-0 2, Malihk Lockman 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 20-46 6-7 50.

Centennial — Zach Kluver 4-10 3-4 11, Micah Johnson 5-7 0-0 10, Jackson Brannan 1-2 2-2 5, Hunter Strait 2-10 1-2 5, Benjamin Breeding 0-1 0-0 0, Cody McCullough 2-3 0-0 4, Preston Kelling 1-4 0-0 2, Lathan Brandt 0-5 0-0 0, Brandon VanMeter 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 15-43 6-8 37.

Quarter scores: Fort Dodge led 17-7, 28-15, 37-27. Three-point goals: Fort Dodge 4-11 (Mosley 3-5, Jackson 1-2, Clayton 0-1, Peterson 0-1, Kershaw 0-1, Lockman 0-1); Centennial 1-12 (Brannan 1-2, Strait 0-3, Brandt 0-3, Kelling 0-2, Johnson 0-1, Kluver 0-1). Turnovers: Fort Dodge 9, Centennial 4. Total fouls: Fort Dodge 9, Centennial 12.

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