For the first 14 minutes and 20 seconds of the first half, the Wolverine Conference South boys’ basketball game between Otsego and Allegan on Tuesday, Jan. 24, couldn’t have been much closer.
How close was it, you ask? Well, thanks to a basket by Allegan’s Thomas Voglewede, Otsego was clinging to a 21-20 lead.
That’s when the momentum swung in the Bulldogs’ favor … big time.
Otsego embarked on a 12-0 scoring run during the final 1:40 of the first half as its lead ballooned to 33-20.
The momentum carried over into the second half, as the Bulldogs pulled away for the 80-33 victory.
“It took us a little while to really find our rhythm offensively,” first-year Otsego coach Matt Dennis said.
“Allegan was running a 1-3-1 zone that we hadn’t really seen before and we had to adjust to that.
“The good news was we were playing particularly bad to start the game. We just couldn’t get our shots to fall like we wanted them to. Once we got going, it kind of snowballed for us.”
Given the final score, Dennis had the luxury of giving every player on his roster playing time.
“All the guys on our team work hard in practice to get ready for our games, not just the starters,” Dennis said. “So it’s always nice when you can get everyone in the game and reward the hard work they put in during practice.”
And most of them found their way into the scoring column.
A total of 12 players scored for the Bulldogs, including four who scored in double figures.
Alex Davis led the way with 16 points, 15 of which came in the second half. Tyler Rayman was one behind with 15 points, while Bill Woodhams added 14 points and Jason Weber chipped in with 11.
“We did a really nice job of moving the ball and getting everyone involved,” Dennis said. “One of the best parts was the way the guys were cheering for each other. They want each other to be successful. As a coach, that’s a great thing to see.”
Caleb DeKryger did his best to keep Allegan in the game early, scoring eight of his team’s 10 first-quarter points. He finished with a team-best 12 points to go with 10 rebounds and four blocks.
Landon Mielke joined DeKryger in double figures with 10 points. He also had six rebounds.
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