photo by: Kim North

Cameron’s Colin Magers (34) is guarded by Bridgeport’s Jaki Threet during first-half action Friday night on Frank Baxter Court. Magers had a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds, but the Dragons fell, 73-43, to the Bulldogs.

BRIDGEPORT – It’s been quite a winter for Donnie Cash and his Bridgeport boys’ basketball team, and the veteran head coach hopes it continues.

Friday night on Frank Baxter Court inside the John J. Havlicek Gymnasium, the Bulldogs (11-2) led wire-to-wire in dispatching visiting Cameron (3-9) by a 73-43 count on Senior Night. The lop-sided

victory was the second over the Dragons as they prevailed in Marshall County, 69-23, in mid-December.

“We shot the ball extremely well in the first quarter,” Cash said. “But I thought we played like a rollercoaster. We had our ups and we had our downs.

“We lost our focus a little bit. It was like an open gym there in the second quarter. We need to be able to execute our offense all the time, not just when we want to,” he added. “We’ve got to be able to do what we need to do all the time.”

Bridgeport is involved in a tight three-way battle for third place in the latest OVAC Class 2A standings with undefeated Clay-Battelle, Lisbon David Anderson and River. However, it can pick up some extra bonus points today with a win at Shadyside. That game has a JV tip at 3 p.m.

The Bulldogs were on fire early from behind the three-point arc as they tickled the twine seven times in the first quarter en route to a 27-6 advantage. They never looked back.

Jaleel Vincent drilled four of the first-quarter treys and finished with five among his eight field goals for a game-best 21 points. The junior standout was supported by senior Jaki Threet with 11. Classmate Jameil McKennen and Evan Clark had 10 each.

“We’ve been doing that pretty well the last couple of games,” Cash said of getting multiple players with 10-plus points. “We’ve been in the mid-60s for the most part.”

“We played better in the second half. We changed up our defense, but they (Bridgeport) can shoot really well,” Cameron head coach Matt Burge said. “I’ve got to give my kids credit. We’ve had a tough season so far, but they’ve got the greatest attitudes.”

Cameron, which was minus starters Danny Yoss and Camden McAuley, lost Grayson Bonar midway through the second quarter with an ankle injury. He did not return.

Seniors Colin Magers and Hunter Dobbs led Cameron. Magers had 13 points and a like number of rebounds, while Dobbs finished with 16 points.

“Colin went after the basketball. He probably had a double-double,” Burge noted. “I told him afterwards that we need him to play like that the rest of the season.”

Bridgeport led 37-30 off the glass as Clark had a team-best six. McKennen added five, while Vincent and Threet evenly divided eight.

Cameron charted 23 turnovers, with 17 coming in the first half when they trailed 44-19.