By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
Rivalry battles always add an extra element to any competition.
But in the end, they’re really only enjoyable for the team that comes out on top.
In that scenario, the Big Foot boys basketball team had a whole lot of fun Saturday afternoon.
The Chiefs overcame a three-point halftime deficit with a strong second half en route to a 48-44 non-conference win over Williams Bay. The victory improved Big Foot to 2-5 overall, while Williams Bay fell to 2-2.
Big Foot tied the game heading into the fourth quarter and pulled away in the last eight minutes, thanks in large part to a halftime adjustment, coach Mike Dowden said.
“We played the second half a little more the way we want to play,” he said. “We got Nico (Tovar) a ton of post touches and just kept trying to go inside.
“I think 90 percent of our possessions in the second half, we got a shot that we wanted. That was a big key for us.”
Working the ball into the post was a challenge at times, as Williams Bay had some height inside.
But that didn’t deter the Chiefs from following the second-half game plan, Dowden said.
“They have a 6-5 sophomore and (John Spencer) Higgins is a big boy, too,” he said. “He’s maybe a little more thick than tall. They have some big guys, but I was pretty happy with how our big guys went against their big guys.”
Big Foot led 12-8 after the first quarter before the Bulldogs responded with a 15-8 advantage in the second to take the three-point halftime lead.
“We took some bad shots, kind of rushed a little bit,” he said. “We had some open looks down the stretch that we just missed. And they executed well and got us on a couple back doors when we got a little sloppy.
“We’ve had those stretches, where we go on two-, three-, or four-minute stretches when we don’t score and lose it mentally. They took advantage of that.”
Alex Landers led the Chiefs with 12 points, followed by Tovar with 10, Beau Cary with nine and Chandler Hehr with six.
Dowden, a former standout at Big Foot who took over at his alma mater last year, said the chance to play against such a nearby rival still is exciting.
The gym had a little extra juice in it, especially when Williams Bay made its run, and Dowden told his team it just had to hold its ground until it could turn things around.
“They went on a run and got up eight, nine, 10 points, and I said, ‘This is their time,’” he said. “The gym was getting a little loud. They were really enjoying it.
“It’s (a) tough (game). The kids know each other, and there’s always been that rivalry going back and forth that’s pretty deep rooted. It’s fun to play, and at the same time, it’s even better to get the ‘W.’”
Whippets roll past Chiefs
Big Foot fell behind 15-0 in the first quarter Dec. 18 at Whitewater and never recovered in a disappointing 66-39 loss.
“We played terrible,” Dowden said. “Let’s call a spade a spade. We didn’t play the way we need to play.
“We’re trying to meet in the middle of how (I) want to play and how the players want to play. We’re trying to find that common ground.”
Dowden said he made some changes to the offense heading into the game and was prepared for some struggles on that end of the court.
But he didn’t expect the wheels to come off in that opening quarter.
“We put in a new offense, trying to have a little bit of a different philosophy and probably weren’t game ready to do it,” he said. “I knew we might not be game ready. But it is what it is. Sometimes you have to do short term stuff for a long term gain.”
Tovar led the way with eight points, followed by Michael Heidenreich with seven and Anthony Williams and Hehr each with six.
Big Foot is back in action next Monday and Tuesday when it travels to the Lake Mills Tournament. The Chiefs play Lakeside Lutheran Dec. 29, at 1:30 p.m., followed by 6:45 p.m. matchup the next night against Lake Mills.
“We’re going to play two really good teams there,” Dowden said. “We just have to play our basketball and try to get better.”
