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Dodgers prevail in overtime

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Malcolm Clayton of Fort Dodge shoots around Urbandale A.J. Costello on Friday

It wasn’t exactly how Dodger boys’ basketball coach Tom Daniel thought it would play out, but he’ll take the win anyway.

Facing off against Sioux City North here in the Dodger gym last night, the Fort Dodge boys were pushed to overtime before coming away with a 65-61 victory.

North came into the game with just three wins and was coming off an 89-50 loss to No. 6 (4A) Sioux City East. But the Stars (3-10) rallied from an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime before the Dodgers (7-5) pulled away.

“You can never take any opponent lightly,” said Daniel, whose team had its four-game win streak snapped at Johnston last Friday. “I think sometimes that’s hard for kids to recognize. Give (North) credit. They were a motivated team coming across the state. They gave us all they had.

“Hopefully some of this adversity we are facing will pay off. They played us hard, but we’ll take this win.”

Senior Malcom Clayton, who set a new school record by playing in his 79th varsity game, led the Dodgers with 28 points including six in overtime. Jordan Jackson added 14 and Trey Mosley 11.

“That record will stand for a while when he’s all done,” said Daniel. “I don’t know if we’ll have a freshman for a while that will impact our program like he did. It’s a credit to him and what he’s done for our program. There’s just so much more that he does than score points. He’s a leader. He’s a hard worker. He’s a good student. He’s the kind of kid you want in your program.”

Trent Frerichs led North with 21 points. Nick Opsahl added 13 and Hunter Walker had 11.

Fort Dodge led 51-43 with 5:07 left in the game after a bucket by Clayton, but North outscored the Dodgers 10-2 down the stretch to force overtime tied at 53-all.

The Dodgers had the ball with just over one minute left in regulation and were able to work the clock for a final shot, but Clayton came up short on a runner down the lane as time expired.

“We decided if they were going to let us hold the ball, we would,” said Daniel. “Most times, Malcolm is going to make that shot. Tonight, he didn’t but we didn’t give them any time.”

North led 59-57 with 3:01 left in the overtime, but the Dodgers scored five straight to lead 62-59.

Frerichs was fouled by Clayton on a three-point shot with 33 seconds left, but he could only make two of the three foul shots. Fort Dodge then broke North’s press and Mosley hit two free throws to make it 64-61.

After another North miss, Jackson hit a final free throw with six seconds remaining.

Fort Dodge got some key minutes from reserves Rodney Tilawen and Grant Barber. Tilawen hit a three for the Dodgers and blocked a couple shots. Barber had five rebounds, including the final one of the game after North’s missed three.

“Both teams tapped into their depth a little bit. Rodney filled in well and Grant was our unsung hero. He had some big rebounds, including the one that basically locked it up for us. Those are guys filling a role and doing it when we needed them the most,” Daniel said.

The Dodgers led 11-8 after a sluggish first quarter. North got a shot from Kuot Ngut to lead at halftime, 27-26.

Fort Dodge trailed 38-34 with 3:05 left in the third period, but outscored the visitors 6-0 to end the period.

The Dodgers step back into CIML Iowa Conference play this Friday hosting long-time rival Mason City. The Dodgers already own a 63-43 win over the Mohawks.

Fort Dodge 65, Sioux City North 61

Fort Dodge – Trey Mosley 2-8 5-6 11, Malcolm Clayton 11-24 5-6 28, Jace Peterson 3-6 1-2 7, Tysen Kershaw 0-0 0-0 0, Jordan Jackson 5-9 4-5 14, Aaron Porter 1-1 0-0 2, Rodney Tilawen 1-3 0-0 3, Grant Barber 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 24-51 15-19 65.

Sioux City North – Nick Opsahl 6-10 0-0 13, Trent Frerichs 7-16 3-6 21, Hunter Walker 3-4 5-6 11, Kuot Ngut 3-8 1-1 8, Nate Reed 0-3 0-0 0, Austin Wilshire 3-6 0-0 8, Devonta Cobbs 0-1 0-0 0, Fernando Alferez 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 21-48 9-13 61.

Quarter scores: Fort Dodge led 11-8, North led 27-26, Fort Dodge led 44-38, 53-53 (end of regulation). Three-point shots: Fort Dodge 4-10 (Mosley 2-3, Clayton 1-4, Peterson 0-1, Tilawen 1-2); North 8-15 (Opsahl 1-3, Frerichs 4-7, Ngut 1-3, Wilshire 2-2). Total fouls: Fort Dodge 19, North 19. Fouled out: Kershaw, Walker, Wilshire).

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