GRIMES — The Fort Dodge boys basketball squad had the right plan of action in place early against Dallas Center-Grimes here Monday night in a Class 4A postseason opener.

Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the Mustangs were able to withstand some initial struggles before putting together an impressive run on their way to a 77-42 victory.

Dallas Center-Grimes (18-5 overall) advances to the Substate 8 semifinals where they will face Ankeny Centennial (10-11) on Friday night. The Little Hawkeye Conference champions, who went unbeaten in league play, have now won 11 in a row — a streak that includes victories over third-rated (3A) Ballard, No. 9 (3A) and previously-ranked (4A) Council Bluffs Lincoln.

“That’s just a really, really good ballclub,” FDSH head coach Willie Williams said of the Mustangs. “They’re well coached, they know their roles and they execute. We can learn a lot from a team and a program like that.”

In his final game as a Dodger, Cade Westerhoff led the visitors with 20 points. He added seven rebounds.

Fellow senior Carter Woodruff had nine points for FDSH.

Westerhoff broke the seal with a bucket, but that would be the final time the Dodgers (5-17) led early and for the rest of the evening. DC-G went on a 13-0 run to close the opening quarter with a 17-4 advantage. Westerhoff had all four points for Fort Dodge.

Junior Hayden Zuspann added six points for the Dodgers, who picked up the scoring with 28 second-half points and all five of their three-point baskets.

“We dug ourselves a big hole, which is tough to overcome in basketball — especially on the road against a team like this,” Williams said. “We gave a better overall effort (after intermission) on the offensive end, but they were tough to stop.”

The Mustangs received an impressive start from Mateo Dzolota, as the senior scored 13 of the first 26 points for Dallas Center-Grimes despite averaging just 8.5 coming into the night. He had 15 points in the opening 16 minutes of play.

Dzolota finished with 18 points, Kyle Cason had 15 and four others each scored six for the 2022 Class 3A state champions, who made 11 three-point baskets.

The Mustangs now have a cumulative record of 111-35 since 2019.

This marked the final time in a Dodger uniform for seniors Westerhoff and Woodruff, who were both three-year starters. Westerhoff finished as the 13th leading scorer in school history with 747 career points. He became the first FDSH player since current assistant Jordan Jackson in 2018-19 to eclipse the 300-point plateau in a single season this year as well.

“We’re going to really miss Cade and Carter, for sure,” Williams said. “They left this program in better shape than when they started. We appreciate them, and want to see them go far in life. They’ll always have our support; this goes beyond basketball.”

Every other Fort Dodge player is slated to return in 2025-26.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Williams said. “This is a huge offseason for our program. I want them in the gym and in the weight room as much as possible. I want them working together, communicating with each other and holding each other accountable.

“I truly think we played much better basketball as the season went on, but we still have a long way to go and have to build from that.”

DALLAS CENTER-GRIMES 77, FORT DODGE 42

Dallas Center-Grimes — Mateo Dzolota 8 0-0 18, Kyle Cason 6 0-1 15, Brody Burke 3 0-0 6, Wyatt Valenta 2 2-2 6, Tate Perrin 2 0-0 6, Camren Allen 2 0-0 6, Chase Perrin 2 0-0 5, Carter Schwantes 1 2-4 4, Hudson Heidgerken 2 0-0 4, Brody Logan 1 0-0 3, Cash Robinson 1 0-0 2, Jacob Hope 1 0-0 2. Totals: 31 4-7 77.

Fort Dodge — Cade Westerhoff 9 1-2 20, Carter Woodruff 2 2-2 7, Hayden Zuspann 2 0-0 6, Reggie Pederson 2 0-0 4, Gavin Davis 1 0-0 3, Brody Maehl 1 0-0 2, Taevon Feeley 0 0-2 0, Tytrell Mosley 0 0-0 0, Javion Soppeland 0 0-0 0, Tisyn Hook 0 0-0 0, Kyree Rochon 0 0-0 0, Kauner Jensen 0 0-0 0, Carter Morris 0 0-0 0. Totals: 17 3-6 42.

Quarter scores: DC-G led 17-4, 37-14, 60-33. Three-point goals: DC-G 11 (Cason 3, Dzolota 2, Allen 2, T. Perrin 2, C. Perrin 1, Logan 1); Fort Dodge 5 (Zuspann 2, Westerhoff, Woodruff, Davis). Total fouls: DC-G 7, Fort Dodge 14.