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Photo/Alex Kielar) Ryan Waller snags a defensive rebound in the first half of the Bucks’ 58-37 win over the Dublin Lions on the road Friday, Jan. 9. -
(Photo/Alex Kielar) Ryan Waller attempts a corner three Friday, Jan. 9 during the second half of the Bucks’ road district win over Dublin, 58-37. Waller led the team with 14 points in the game. -
(Photo/Alex Kielar) Douglas White goes for a layup past a Dublin defender during the second half of the road district win Friday, Jan. 9. White scored nine points in the win. -
(Photo/Alex Kielar) Hudson Woodward defends a three-point shot for the Dublin Lions in the first half of the Bucks’ road 58-37 victory Friday, Jan. 9. -
(Photo/Alex Kielar) Douglas White defends against a Dublin Lions player in the corner during the first half of the Bucks’ road district 58-37 win Friday, Jan. 9.
The Breckenridge Buckaroos used a dominant defensive stretch in the second and third quarters to pull away from the Dublin Lions and earn a 58-37 road win, improving to 3-0 in district play.
Dublin opened the game Friday, Jan. 9 with a pair of quick layups, but the Bucks settled in behind strong interior play. Douglas White fed Cooper Wimberley for an early bucket, Jaime Cruz attacked the rim and Joseph Juneau scored twice – once on a follow of his own miss – to keep the Bucks within a possession.
Cruz added a late layup and Ryan Waller’s hustle on the defensive end helped the Bucks close the first quarter trailing just 12-11.
Breckenridge flipped the script in the second quarter. After another Dublin layup, Waller sparked a surge with a fast-break finish, then buried a three-pointer followed by another three from the corner to give the Bucks control. Christian Flores added a three of his own, and Breckenridge’s pressure created repeated runouts, including a steal-and-score sequence that pushed the lead to 20-19.
Dublin briefly regained the lead on a putback shot, but the Bucks answered with a 12-0 run to close the half. Waller converted a fast-break layup and putback, Wimberley hit a free throw and Joacim Fernandez finished a steal and layup with an and-one chance in the final seconds. At halftime, the Bucks led 31-21.
The Bucks kept rolling in the third quarter. Dublin opened with a layup, but Wimberley answered with a three, Waller knocked down a mid-range jumper off a feed from Hudson Woodward and White found Waller in transition for another layup. White added an and-one and Flores scored to beat the buzzer on a White assist inside to stretch the lead to 45-23 entering the fourth quarter.
Breckenridge closed the game with more defensive pressure and transition scoring. Juneau drilled a corner three, White and Wimberley forced turnovers and the Bucks strung together multiple fast-break layups as Dublin to handle the pressure. The fourth quarter also featured a series of Dublin technical fouls, allowing Woodward, Wimberley and Flores to add points at the line. White scored again inside, Waller added free throws and Flores knocked down one more at the charity stripe to seal the 58-37 win.
The Bucks’ defensive intensity – highlighted by Waller’s hustle, White’s playmaking and multiple steal-and-score sequences – powered a dominant middle stretch that turned a tight game into a comfortable district victory.
The Bucks are back home Tuesday, Jan. 13 to host the Millsap Bulldogs before traveling to Peaster to face the Greyhounds Friday, Jan. 16.
