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DAYTON–Heading further into January's schedule, the Dayton Bulldogs sustained two losses against rival powerhouses Garfield-Palouse and Oakesdale. The Vikings hosted Dayton last Friday, handing the Dawgs a 59-25 loss, then Oakesdale visited Saturday, leaving town with a 57-23 win-both 34-point margins.

The Bulldogs played Mac-Hi last Tuesday and faces road trips to Yakama Nation Tribal and Pomeroy this weekend with updated tip-off times (see accompanying story). Prescott visits Tuesday, Jan. 16.

"It was a tough weekend for us," said Head Coach Clayton Strong. "We knew that playing both Garfield-Palouse and Oakesdale would be tough."

Strong complimented both opponents for being well-coached and extremely disciplined teams. "We are continuing to use these games as ways to learn and grow as a team," he said. "We continue to play hard and I'm extremely proud of the guys for not giving in or giving up."

The Dawgs had their hands full trying to contain Gar-Pal's Landon Orr, who kicked off the game with seven first-quarter points and finished with a game-high 16. Dayton's scoring was shared by Denver Hutchens, Colton Steinhoff and Jack Zanger plus Jordan McCowen's trey.

McCowen drained another three pointer in the second quarter-Dayton's only points in those eight minutes.

The chill continued in the third quarter for Dayton with Carson Potter's lone bucket the only points. In the fourth, Hutchens got hot with a pair of threes, a bucket and a free throw. With Zanger's basket, the team finished with 11 fourth-quarter points.

Garfield-Palouse scored consistently in the third, racking up 18 and tapered off with seven points in the fourth quarter.

Oakesdale pressed and jumped to a 19-6 lead in the first quarter on numerous turnover buckets, five by Logan Brown, who finished with a game-high 15, with Will Lanius close behind with 14. Dayton's six were via a three pointer by McCowen, a Hutchens bucket and a free throw by Zanger.

The Nighthawks divided up scoring duties around the starting five and early substitutes, continuing with pressure to chalk up 18 points to Dayton's four second-quarter points and a 37-10 half time score.

Oakesdale's defense shut down Dayton in the second half, holding the Dawgs to four points in the third quarter and nine in the fourth.

Hutchens led Bulldog scoring with nine and McCowen made seven.

Oakesdale 57, Dayton (1/6)

Day 6 4 4 9-23

Oak 19 18 16 4-57

Dayton (23) Raymond Yutzy 2, Jordan McCowen 7, Denver Hutchens 9, Colton Steinhoff 2, Jack Zanger 1, Cayle Davis 2. Free throws: 2/4-50%. FG(2): 9/21-43%. FG(3): 1/14-7%.

Oakesdale (57) L. Brown 15, R. Reed 9, E. Anderson 10, Caleb Wagner 4, W. Lanius 14, D. Chappell 2, J. Eads 3. Free throws: 2/9-22%. FG(2): 23/48-48%. FG(3): 3/12-25%.

-Chronicle photo

Oakesdale defenders and Jack Zanger (22) watch Zanger's hard-fought shot attempt loft to the hoop while teammate Raymond Yutzy stands by at the perimeter. Zanger is a 6-2 freshman who contributed points and rebounds to the squad. He snagged six boards in the Gar-Pal game, four against Oakesdale.

Rebounds: Yutzy, McCowen 2, Hutchens 5, Steinhoff 4, Zanger 6, Korslund. Assists: McCowen, Rennaker 2, Potter, Zanger 3. Turnovers: Yutzy 2, McCowen 8, Hutchens 2, Potter 4, Steinhoff 4, Zanger 3, Korslund 3. Steals: Rennaker, Hutchens 2, Potter, Steinhoff 2. Blocked shots: McCowen.

Gar-Pal 59, Dayton (1/5)

Day 9 3 2 11-25

GP 17 17 18 7-59

Dayton (25) Jordan McCowen 6, Denver Hutchens 11, Carson Potter 2, Colton Steinhoff 2, Jack Zanger 4. Free throws: 1/5-20%. FG(2): 6/18-33%. FG(3): 4/12-33%.

Gar-Pal (59) B. Pfaff 4, L. Collier 11, K. Kelnhofer 6, M. Rordon 5, L. Cook 2, B. Snekuk 2, K. Snekuk7, R. Pfaff 2, L. Orr 16, P. Olson 2, C. Pfaff 2. Free throws: 6/9-67%. FG(2): 25/61-41%. FG(3): 1/7-14%.

Rebounds: Yutzy 3, McCowen 7, Hutchens 5, Steinhoff 3, Zanger 4. Assists: Yutzy 2, Hutchens 3, Zanger 2. Turnovers: Yutzy, McCowen 8, Hutchens 4, Steinhof, Zanger 5, Korslund. Steals: McCowen, Hutchens 3, Zanger. Blocked shots: Hutchens.