GUNNISON—A win is a win, but the season opener last week showed that the Bulldogs still have some work to do this year.
The Gunnison Valley boys’ basketball team began their first season with new Coach Tyson Moosman in a good way, going 2-0 with a closer-than-expected road win over Wayne, 40-37, last Tuesday, then following it up with a convincing home victory over Green River, 61-27, last Wednesday. Gunnison’s last 2-0 start to the season came back in 2018 when they began 4-0.
The Bulldogs played Wayne fairly close for comfort considering the Badgers finished 2-14 in 1A last year. Gunnison struggled to shoot in the beginning, falling behind 5-4 at the end of the first quarter. They pulled away in the second quarter with a 19-point outburst to lead, 23-16, at the half. After going ahead, 31-19, at the start of the final period, they weathered a furious comeback attempt by the Badgers, who scored 17 points in the last quarter.
Junior Jon Willden led all scorers in the game with 15 points, while senior Myles Bartholomew chipped in 12 points. The Bulldogs made six 3-pointers in the low-scoring affair.
Against Green River, the hot shooting from the arc continued as the Bulldogs made seven total -3-pointers. The Bulldogs outscored the Pirates in every quarter of the blowout win.
Willden led all scorers again with 18 points, including three 3-pointers, while junior Cody Hammond scored 12 points.
The Bulldogs play on the road at Enterprise this Tuesday, and they’ll then be off until December.
