FDSH boys no match for Maroons
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Before the Fort Dodge boys are able to fix the imbalance on the scoreboard that has consistently plagued them during the early stages of the season, first-year head coach Willie Williams knows his team must clean up what's happening in practice and the locker room when no one is watching.
The Dodgers were overwhelmed in their 2021-22 home debut on Tuesday, dropping a 72-22 decision to West Des Moines Dowling that had Williams begging for his team to look inward.
Williams isn't as worried about wins and losses in the early stages of his tenure, which is marked by change and transition. It's not as much about the end result as the pride Fort Dodge must show as it battles through bouts of adversity.
"Just fight. That's what I want and what I'm all about," Williams said. "You have to be willing to put it all on the line for each other and the program. If you don't do that, forget the execution and everything else. It has to start with working hard and having each other's backs. Times get tough…what are you going to do in response?
"We have a lot of soul searching to do there before we (address anything else)."
The Maroons (2-2 overall) overwhelmed the Dodgers (0-3) from the opening tip, scoring 24 of the game's first 26 points as FDSH went nearly nine minutes of court time without a single point. Williams's squad was 1 for 15 from the field during that stretch.
Things got mildly better in the second quarter, with the Dodgers staying within 20 by the break. Dowling delivered a 25-5 knockout punch in the third period, though.
The Maroons received 38 points from their bench and made 29 baskets in all.
Junior Javion Jondle led Fort Dodge with seven points. Monterius Altman-Abrams and Bradley Vodraska both added six.
The Dodgers have scored only 112 points in their first three contests.
"We're not sharing the ball or making the extra pass," Williams said. "We're taking a lot of forced, contested shots. But more than anything, we need to start competing and bringing fire and intensity to both the game and the way we feel about each other. Holding ourselves accountable.
"At the end of the day, I can't want it for them. They have to want it for the guy they're playing or sitting next to."
Junior Drew Mauro, Dowling's leading scorer heading into Tuesday's action, had 13 points. Jaylen Pettus added 10 off the bench.
Fort Dodge is off for a week, with its next contest coming at home on Tuesday versus Des Moines North.
WDM DOWLING 72, FORT DODGE 22
Dowling -- Drew Mauro 6-7 0-0 13, Maada Brewah 3-6 2-2 8, Charlie Stewart 3-5 2-7 8, Carson Brown 1-4 1-2 3, Quensy Ferguson 1-2 0-0 2, Jaylen Pettus 4-8 2-2 10, Davis Scheck 2-6 0-0 6, Andrew Nyongi 2-4 0-0 5, Colin Clark 2-3 1-2 5, Joey Coppola 1-4 1-2 3, Jake Anderson 1-1 0-0 3, Jalyn Thompson 1-5 0-0 2, Danny Nielsen 1-1 0-0 2, Jackson Ode 0-5 0-0 0. Totals: 29-62 9-17 72.
Fort Dodge -- Javion Jondle 2-9 3-6 7, Monterius Altman-Abrams 3-8 0-0 6, Bradley Vodraska 2-11 1-2 6, Carson Peterson 0-5 0-0 0, Alex Underwood 0-3 0-0 0, Pry'Shayn Mosley 1-5 0-0 3, Nate Opande 0-1 0-0 0, Ty Adams 0-1 0-0 0, Bo Tracy 0-0 0-0 0, Kyron Wilson 0-0 0-0 0, Ryan Daniel 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 8-43 4-8 22.
Quarter scores: Dowling led 19-2, 33-13, 58-18. Three-point goals: Dowling 5-19 (Scheck 2-5, Grant 1-1, Anderson 1-1, Mauro 1-2, Brown 0-2, Stewart 0-2, Ode 0-4); Fort Dodge 2-13 (Mosley 1-2, Vodraska 1-2, Altman-Abrams 0-2, Peterson 0-2, Jondle 0-2, Underwood 0-2, Adams 0-1). Turnovers: Dowling 11, Fort Dodge 16. Total fouls: Dowling 9, Fort Dodge 15.