It was an all Utah final this past weekend at the Bulldog Invitational Basketball Tournament (BIT) as Kenab faced off against Enterprise in the championship matchup. Kenab outlasted Enterprise 46-43 to take home the gold. The hometown Virgin Valley High School Bulldogs finished the tournament with a 1-2 record.
The Bulldogs lost to Enterprise 61-56 in their first game on Thursday evening as they could not overcome a slow start and trailed 20-10 after one period and 35-25 at the break. The Dawgs rallied in the second half but could not catch the Utah squad. Bulldog senior Will Barnum led all scorers with 22 points followed by Braden Bingham with 11 points. The young Bulldogs wasted no time recovering from their opening game loss to hold off Pahrump Valley 61-59 in their second game. The Bulldogs trailed early once again 18-8 after one period, but rallied to take the lead at the break, 28-26. The Trojans cut the Dawgs lead to 42-41 after three periods. The Dawgs did not melt under Trojan pressure holding off Pahrump for the win. Barnum led all scorers again with 18 points followed by Kris Leavitt with 12 points and guard Koden Tietjen with 11 points. The Dawgs finished the tourney with a 68-49 loss at the hands of Utah’s Crimson Cliffs. The Bulldogs could not recover from a 38-23 deficit after one half of play as the Utah squad led from start to finish. Barnum continued to lead the Dawgs offense putting up 18 points in the loss. “The boys are playing well,” said Bulldog coach Mark Barnum. ”We are still working out kinks and trying to get everyone used to playing together. They are working hard and making the changes that are needed. We have been competitive with every team.” The Bulldogs end 2019 with a game on Friday December 20 against archrival Moapa Valley in the Pirates Den. It will no doubt be another barn burner in the intense rivalry. The Bulldogs record stands at 2-5.
