Bulldog forward Zach Barnum #3 skies for a three ball during the Dawgs 59-57 win. Barnum led the dawgs with 13 points for the game. Photo by Lou Martin
“I love it when a plan comes together,” said Hannibal of the TV series ‘A Team’. Bulldog coach Sean FitzSimons fit the part when he drew up the final play of the Bulldog Kanab game Friday night in the Bulldog Invitational. With only two seconds remaining in the game, Zach Barnum faked a pass to the middle and hit Hogan Fowles in the left corner, who hit the shot of his young life. “I prayed it would go in,” said Hogan immediately after the game. The 59-57 win propels the Bulldogs into a semi-final game Saturday at 1pm against Mojave High School. The Rattlers slipped by Shadow Ridge 56-54 in the last game of the evening.
After a torrid shooting night Thursday night against TECH, the Bulldogs came out flat trailing 16-10 after one period of play. Bulldog reserves Jayden Perkins and Andrew Memmott sparked the offense during their short time on the floor. Trailing 19-10, the Bulldog offense awoke behind two three balls from Hogan and one from Memmott giving the Dawgs a short lived 22-19 advantage with 4 minutes remaining in the second period. Memmott made the pass of the half to a streaking Marcus Saunders for two points, but the Dawgs still trailed 26-25 to the scrappy Cowboys. Reserves Fowles, Perkins and Memmott had 15 of the Dawgs 25 to keep them in the game.
The Bulldogs fell behind by as much as six points in the third period but recovered to tie the Cowboys at 44-44. Bulldogs Zach Barnum and Garret Tietjen led the Dawgs with six and eight points respectively. Coach FitzSimons early in the fourth period to steady his young charges as their defense continued to break down allowing the Cowboys easy points in the paint. A three ball from Memmott tied the game 51-51. Hogan made a free throw to tie the match 55-55. Saunders added a huge tip-in to keep the Dawgs in the game 57-57 with 7 seconds remaining in the game. A turnover by the Cowboys set up Hogan’s game winning shot. Barnum led the Dawgs with 13 points followed by Tietjen with 12, Saunders with 12 and Fowles with 10 points.
