The Tioga Bulldogs defeated their rival Collinsville Pirates 46-36 to pick up the Bulldogs’ first district win of the season.
The Bulldogs rode a 15-1 run in the second quarter to take the lead and leaned on their defense to hold on and beat the Pirates by 10 points.
“We’re a defensive team— that’s what we rely on,” Tioga head boys basketball coach Stephen Fewell said. “The team chemistry is amazing, and you can really see it on the defensive side of the court. We hang our hat on defense and rebounding, and we held Era to 39 and now Collinsville to 36.”
Collinsville jumped out to an early 13-7 lead in the first quarter, spearheaded by junior point guard Chad Davidson, who scored 8 of his team’s 13 points.
Tioga tightened its defensive rotations in the next period and brought Collinsville’s offense to a screeching halt, holding the Pirates to 1 point in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs’ defensive prowess fed their offense, helping them outscore the Pirates 15-1 and take a 22-14 lead at the half.
Both teams traded buckets in the third quarter, but Tioga was able to maintain its lead at 33-25 as the game entered the final quarter.
Collinsville refused to quit, cutting the deficit to 3 points with a 5-0 run to open the fourth quarter, but Tioga made crucial shots late in the game to stay in front and take the win 46-36.
“It started with our defense and the rebounding,” Fewell said. 'We also pushed the ball and got some open looks. We missed a few, but we made the ones we needed to, and we took care of the ball against their press defense. Those were the main things that helped us win.”
Sophomore guard Jake David led the Bulldogs with 15 points, followed by junior guard Wesley Willmon, who scored 10 points. Fewell highlighted the performances of senior center J.D. Quintin, who led the team in rebounding, and senior point guard Johnny Dorpinghaus, who orchestrated the offense and played well defensively.
“Coach [Fewell] really emphasized that rebounding would be important,” Quintin said. “Especially in this game, with Collinsville being good at secondchance points, I knew I had to step up and get some boards.”
Dorpinghaus, who is among the state leaders in drawing charging fouls, said Fewell’s defensive system has helped him be in the right place at the right time.
“He wants us to be in a certain position on defense, and that’s the reason I’m able to get these foul calls,” he said. “He came in with a high standard for us, and I’ve bought into it.”
Fewell said he hopes the win opens his team’s eyes to the importance of playing with effort on both ends of the floor.
“Hopefully, they see that defense is going to help us win even when our offense isn’t very good,” he said. “We missed a lot of layups and free throws, but we made some big ones there at the end, so this win shows them defense will win you ball games.”
Bulldogs sophomore guard Jaxson Hurst, center, attacks the rim in Tioga’s 4636 win against Collinsville on Jan. 3. Martin Edwards/The Post-Signal
