-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Malihk Lockman of Fort Dodge shoots around Waukee Dante Jenkins on Friday inside Dodgers gym

For nearly an entire half, Fort Dodge stood toe-to-toe with a Waukee squad that will almost certainly be perched at or near the top of Monday’s first Associated Press boys basketball rankings.

The Warriors did pull away and dispatch the Dodgers, 73-39, in the CIML Iowa Conference opener for both programs on Friday in the FDSH gym. Head coach Tom Daniel liked the fight he saw in his squad, though, which has now dropped its first five games of the season to opponents with a combined record of 15-3.

“We’re getting deeper into games where we’re able to stay competitive (score-wise),” Daniel said. “I think we took a step forward (last night). We’re seeing some growth. We just need some time to practice, teach and work on things that are still holding us back. But the effort, again, was there.”

After surrendering consecutive three-point baskets to start the evening, the Dodgers took a 9-8 lead with 1:35 left in the first quarter. A triple by Malihk Lockman had FDSH within 15-13 with 5:22 left in the second quarter, and a Tysen Kershaw field goal trimmed the deficit to five heading into the final two minutes before intermission.

The Warriors closed the half on a 12-2 run, however, then reeled off 16 of the first 20 points in the third period to end the suspense.

Senior forward Jordan Jackson scored 15 points for the Dodgers, despite being saddled with foul trouble for the final three quarters. Classmate Malihk Lockman added 10, including two of FDSH’s season-high five makes from behind the arc.

“Jordan had a solid game, even though the third foul (in the opening minute of the second period) was a cheapie he needs to avoid,” Daniel said. “Malihk got some nice looks and hit a few. I thought Tysen (Kershaw) and D’Arien (Calahan) had really nice all-around efforts. Tysen’s defense, rebounding and energy was what we need.

“There are still plenty of things we need to clean up. We gave up way too many open layups on defensive breakdowns. Waukee is legit, though. They have the talent and the discipline. Coach (Justin) Ohl runs an outstanding program; they don’t just show up and try to out-talent you. They execute and work to find the open man.”

Seniors Noah Hart (19 points) and Dylan Jones (17) again led the way for the Warriors, while classmate Dante Jenkins also contributed 17. The trio combined to make 21 of their 26 field goal tries, five of seven shots from behind the arc, and all six free throws.

The 6-foot-8 Jones is an Upper Iowa University recruit.

Waukee was 21 of 27 on its two-point attempts, and shot 61 percent overall.

The early-season schedule doesn’t get any easier for Fort Dodge this week. The Dodgers visit Des Moines Hoover (4-0) on Tuesday and Marshalltown (3-1) on Friday.

WAUKEE 73, FORT DODGE 39

Waukee — Noah Hart 7-11 1-1 19, Dylan Jones 8-8 1-1 17, Dante Jenkins 6-7 4-4 17, Andrew Curran 2-4 1-2 6, Michael Vicente 1-2 0-0 3, Jackson Payne 1-2 2-2 4, Payton Sandfort 1-3 0-0 2, Bennett Pedersen 1-1 0-0 2, Trey Schaller 1-1 0-0 2, Matthew O’Brien 0-0 1-2 1, Trey Hardy 0-0 0-0 0, Tucker DeVries 0-7 0-0 0. Totals: 28-46 10-12 73.

Fort Dodge — Jordan Jackson 6-12 1-2 15, Malihk Lockman 4-10 0-0 10, Tysen Kershaw 3-6 0-0 6, D’Arien Calahan 1-2 3-4 6, Jace Peterson 0-4 0-0 0, Grant Barber 1-3 0-0 2, Asle Thorson 0-1 0-0 0, Dayson Clayton 0-1 0-0 0, Rodney Tilawen 0-1 0-0 0, Isaiah Alvarez 0-1 0-0 0, Nolan Daniel 0-1 0-0 0, Tre Preston 0-0 0-0 0, Geoff Astor 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 15-42 4-6 39.

Quarter scores: Waukee led 13-10, 29-17, 51-26. Three-point goals: Waukee 7-19 (Hart 4-6, Curran 1-2, Vicente 1-2, Jenkins 1-1, DeVries 0-5, Sandfort 0-2, Payne 0-1); Fort Dodge 5-12 (Lockman 2-5, Jackson 2-2, Calahan 1-2, Peterson 0-1, Kershaw 0-1, Tilawen 0-1, Daniel 0-1). Turnovers: Waukee 5, Fort Dodge 9. Total fouls: Waukee 12, Fort Dodge 16. Technical foul: Fort Dodge bench.