Dynamic Duo of Dozer and Rose lead the way as B-C cruises past LU
CARROLL — After suffering only their second loss of the season on Wednesday, the Bloom-Carroll boys’ basketball team quickly put that behind them and was all business in Friday’s Mid-State League-Buckeye Division game against Liberty Union.
As it has been the case all season, everything starts and ends with the Bulldogs’ dynamic duo of seniors Evan Dozer and Jared Rose. They were outstanding as they combined to score Bloom-Carroll’s first 26 points of the game.
The Lions didn’t have an answer for them, and while those two were proving to be almost unstoppable at the offensive end, the Bulldogs; defense was suffocating on the other end as they cruised to a 61-29 victory at Tom Petty Gymnasium.
Dozer and Rose continue show why they are arguably the top two players in the MSL-Buckeye Division. Dozer finished with a game-high 20 points, including going 7-for-7 at the free throw line. He grabbed nine rebounds and finished with seven assists, and his defense on the Lions’ top offensive threat was outstanding, as well. Rose, who scored 10 points in the first quarter, finished with 16 points.
“(Dozer and Rose) are two of the elite players in our league,” Liberty Union coach Pat Blevins said. “They make very few mistakes, they are mentally tough, they have experience, and they have the guys around them that screen so well for them. I thought we defended them well, but Rose came out and hit some shots early. It’s tough when a team is clicking and hitting shots, it’s hard to get stops.
They are two of the best in our league and they proved it tonight, and on top of that, they are an elite defensive team. They held us to 29. They made everything tough for us. Coming in, we had won three in a row, and win or lose, I just wanted us to come in here and fight and compete. I felt like we were hanging around in the first half, then a couple of possessions go bad, and you feel like you can’t overcome that hurdle. They are an elite team, and they will be a tough out in the tournament.”
Bloom-Carroll (14-2, 9-0), which is ranked No. 3 in the state in the Division II Associated Press poll, jumped out to a 21-8 first-quarter lead and led 32-18 at halftime. However, in the second half, the Bulldogs were tenacious, and allowed 11 second-half points.
Bloom-Carroll held the Lions to just 9 of 40 shooting from the field, which included just 3-for-23 in the second half and forced 17 turnovers.
“We didn’t play well in our last game, so we wanted to make sure we came out and played hard,” Dozer said. “Coach harps on us about playing defense and everyone on our team buys into playing defense, and when we sit down and really plays defense with intensity, this is the outcome we are going to get.”
Bloom-Carroll coach Joe Goodyear said the Bulldogs had a little extra juice after losing on Wednesday, and the fact they were playing a rival.
“Coming in, we felt like Liberty Union was a solid offensive team, but there is no doubt our guys had a little bit extra coming into this game because it was Liberty Union,” Goodyear said. “I thought our guys were ready to play and really locked in on the defensive end. Our guys wanted to come out and put a stamp on some things. All of our guys defended week, and we got key contributions from eight guys tonight.”
The Bulldogs led 42-34 at the end of the third quarter. The Lions connected only three field goals in the second half and all three of those were 3-pointers.
Jacob Denney led Liberty Union with 10 points and nine rebounds, Landon Picirillo came off the bench to score nine points and Kalib Riddle added seven points.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on Twitter @twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Dynamic Duo of Dozer and Rose lead the way as B-C cruises past LU
