DC led by two at halftime after an evenly played first half, but the Bulldogs gained the advantage with a 16-11 margin in the third quarter. The Chargers made five three-pointers in the first half against the Bulldogs' zone defense, but managed just two in the second half.
The Bulldogs, meanwhile, relied on a trio of scorers. Luc Trees, J.T. Koehn, and Ryan Wall combined to score 59 of the team's 65 points. Trees led the way with 23 points, including two three-pointers.
Koehn and Wall each had a double-double, reaching double digits in both scoring and rebounding. Koehn had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Wall had 17 points and 17 rebounds.
Together they grabbed 10 offensive rebounds that led to some easy put-back baskets. The Bulldogs used their size and strength to outrebound the Chargers. Koehn and Wall each had two blocked shots.
The Bulldogs also outshot the visitors. The Bulldogs made 26 of 57 shots for 46 percent, led by Koehn, who shot eight of 12 from the floor. DC made just 19 of 49 shots, for just 39 percent.
The Bulldogs point guard, Logan Louis, had one of his best games of the year. He handled the ball well and played good defense. He had five rebounds and three assists.
| DC-- | 17 | 15 | 11 | 19 | - 62 |
| Paynesville-- | 16 | 14 | 16 | 19 | - 65 |
LPGE 82
Paynesville 61
A disastrous third quarter led to defeat for the Bulldogs at Long Prairie on Thursday night. The LPGE Thunder turned a seven-point halftime lead into a blowout victory with a 20-7 third quarter swing.
The Bulldogs got off to a slow start to the Thunder, who started the season rated in the top 20 in the state. After one quarter, the Bulldogs trailed by ten, 18-8
The Bulldogs' best quarter was the second, when they outscored LPGE 24-21 to cut their lead at halftime to seven at 39-32. LPGE plays a 2-3 zone and looks to run the floor. In the second quarter the Bulldogs' outside shots were falling.
In the third quarter, the Bulldogs struggled to make lay-ups, while the Thunder, led by Josh Grove, started to dissect the Paynesville's zone defense. Grove led all scorers with 29 points.
The Thunder maintained their 20-point lead in a high scoring fourth quarter.
Luc Trees led Paynesville with 20 points, including five three-pointers. J.T. Koehn added 13 points, and Andy Jones had 12 including two treys.
The Bulldogs made seven three-pointers as a team, but so did LPGE.
Logan Louis led Paynesville with seven assists. Jones had four. Ryan Wall was the rebound leader with nine.
| Paynesville-- | 8 | 24 | 7 | 22 | - 61 |
| LPGE-- | 18 | 21 | 20 | 23 | - 82 |