The Rolla DAWGS hadn't played together as a team in over a year and only twice in the last two years. Despite the separation, the bonds built through sweat and tears over the past seven years were too strong, the team work was too ingrained, and the desire to win was too great. The DAWGS, made up of 7th and 8th grade players from Rolla, finally were able to bring home the Gold at the Show Me State Game this past weekend. The DAWGS have made four trips to the Show Me Games over the years with their best finish being 3rd place when they were in the 3rd and 4th grades.
The DAWGS went 3-0 in pool play with wins against Kirksville, Jackson and Butler. Jackson proved to be the biggest challenge for the DAWGS as their aggressive style matched their physical size and made it difficult on the younger, smaller DAWGS guards. Jackson was able to maintain a lead for the fist three quarters. Despite the challenge, the DAWGS use a strong fourth quarter highlighted by tenacious defense, a dominant inside game that opened up the outside and allowed the guards to hit some key three pointers.
The tournament play on Sunday had the DAWGS sitting with the number one seed and facing a small and outmanned team from Seymour. The DAWGS created turnovers and scored in the transition game easily to cruise to a 30+ point victory. In the second round, the DAWGS would once again face Kirksville who upset the number two seed from the other pool. This time, Kirksville would not be able to hang around at the end of the game as they did previously. The DAWGS picked up where they left off and jumped out to a quick ten point lead and didn't look back as they knocked off the Tigers by 20 points. The DAWGS were riding high into the championship game which would be a rematch against the tough Jackson team that was seeking revenge.
The championship game proved to be as physical as the first game, however, unlike the first game that had the DAWGS at the short end of the stick regarding fouls, this time Jackson was in early foul trouble. The DAWGS took advantage and jumped out to a double digit lead that they held for the majority of the first half. Jackson battled back with some timely shooting and hustle plays to get within 2 points late in the fourth quarter. But once again, the DAWGS defense led to some easy points, the inside-out combination forced the Jackson team to foul and the DAWGS knocked down their free throws to seal the eight point victory.
The strength of the DAWGS in the past has been the team defense and throughout the tournament, it was evident that the DAWGS knew how to help out their teammates. The post play throughout the weekend was impressive with Caleb Copeland, Travis Sederburg, Jordan Kaden and Ben Mills doing the work inside the paint, but also stepping outside to knock down the jumper as well as attacking the basket off the dribble. Landon Maynard, Carter Wands, Kobe Wands and Zach Brown were able to time and again handle the pressure from the other team and breakdown the defense to find their open teammate. They used their long range shooting to open up the inside while setting the pace defensively with their aggressive ball pressure and double teams.
The DAWGS went 3-0 in pool play with wins against Kirksville, Jackson and Butler. Jackson proved to be the biggest challenge for the DAWGS as their aggressive style matched their physical size and made it difficult on the younger, smaller DAWGS guards. Jackson was able to maintain a lead for the fist three quarters. Despite the challenge, the DAWGS use a strong fourth quarter highlighted by tenacious defense, a dominant inside game that opened up the outside and allowed the guards to hit some key three pointers.
The tournament play on Sunday had the DAWGS sitting with the number one seed and facing a small and outmanned team from Seymour. The DAWGS created turnovers and scored in the transition game easily to cruise to a 30+ point victory. In the second round, the DAWGS would once again face Kirksville who upset the number two seed from the other pool. This time, Kirksville would not be able to hang around at the end of the game as they did previously. The DAWGS picked up where they left off and jumped out to a quick ten point lead and didn't look back as they knocked off the Tigers by 20 points. The DAWGS were riding high into the championship game which would be a rematch against the tough Jackson team that was seeking revenge.
The championship game proved to be as physical as the first game, however, unlike the first game that had the DAWGS at the short end of the stick regarding fouls, this time Jackson was in early foul trouble. The DAWGS took advantage and jumped out to a double digit lead that they held for the majority of the first half. Jackson battled back with some timely shooting and hustle plays to get within 2 points late in the fourth quarter. But once again, the DAWGS defense led to some easy points, the inside-out combination forced the Jackson team to foul and the DAWGS knocked down their free throws to seal the eight point victory.
The strength of the DAWGS in the past has been the team defense and throughout the tournament, it was evident that the DAWGS knew how to help out their teammates. The post play throughout the weekend was impressive with Caleb Copeland, Travis Sederburg, Jordan Kaden and Ben Mills doing the work inside the paint, but also stepping outside to knock down the jumper as well as attacking the basket off the dribble. Landon Maynard, Carter Wands, Kobe Wands and Zach Brown were able to time and again handle the pressure from the other team and breakdown the defense to find their open teammate. They used their long range shooting to open up the inside while setting the pace defensively with their aggressive ball pressure and double teams.