By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
HOPKINS—It was a busy first week of the season for the Otsego boys basketball team, as the Bulldogs played three games in five days.
And after dropping the first two of those contests, the Bulldogs collected their first win by besting host Hopkins 73-52 on Saturday, Dec. 6.
Otsego’s Wyatt Dennis led all scorers in Hopkins game, going for 22 points, including five 3-pointers in the second half. Leeland Longcore added 16 points and four steals.
The Bulldogs trailed 15-6 after one quarter before using an 18-9 edge in the second quarter to knot the score at 24-24.
The third quarter was all Otsego, which held a 27-10 scoring edge.
“After a slow start, we challenged the guys at halftime to bring more energy and support each other,” Otsego coach Matt Dennis said. “They responded exactly how we hoped. Shots started falling, we got some good bounces, and the effort never dropped.
“We weren’t bad in the first half, but in the second, we looked like a different team.”
Trent Smith led Hopkins with 11 points, followed by Cruz Hitzler and Jackson Iciek with nine each.
In its game with Vicksburg on Friday, Dec. 5, Otsego fell behind 22-10 after one quarter and trailed 42-14 at halftime en route to the 77-46 loss.
Owen Santman led Otsego with eight points, while Jack Cook added seven.
“It’s still early in the season,” Matt Dennis said. “We’re focused on getting better every day, staying together as a team and playing hard for four full quarters. The wins will come if we keep doing the right things.”
In its season opener against visiting Lakeshore on Tuesday, Dec. 2, Otsego was down just 39-25 through three quarters.
But a 20-12 advantage for Lakeshore in the final stanza resulted in a 59-47 loss for the Bulldogs.
“For three and a half quarters, we kept the game close,” Matt Dennis said. “In the last four minutes, Lakeshore was able to pull away.
“Overall, there were a lot of encouraging signs. With such a young team, we saw stretches of really solid basketball, along with moments where mistakes and turnovers kept us from taking the lead. To win games, we need to play more consistently for all four quarters.”
Santman scored a team-high 12 points in the loss, while Longcore had 11.
