The first round of the 9-Mile War on the hardwood goes to the Bulldogs as 10 of 11 players scored in the 42-35 win over Pasco. The win marks the 17th consecutive vicxtory over the Pirates.
Zephyrhills Coach Mike Novak used his bench effectively as the Bulldogs took the wire-to-wire victory. Leading the way for the Bulldogs was Ken McCullough with 10 points, Brody Griswold with eight and Teddy Sands with six.
JJ Chapman led the Pirates with 17 points and Gabe Hernandez dropped 10. The Pirates made a run in the fourth quarter outscoring Zephyrhills 16-9, but the rally fell short.
“We’re searching right now,” Novak said. “We’re trying to find our roles and trying to find our confidence. It’s tough this year. It’s good tto get those kids in. Everybody wants to get in and everybody thinks they are 32-minute guys. It was good to get everybody in the ball game.”
The Bulldogs are 7-6 overall this season after finishing 4-2 during tournament action over the holiday break.
“We’re trying to put two games together,” Novak said. “We were a couple points from goin 6-0 over the break. We’re trying to get some consistency.”
The win over Pasco gives the Bulldogs 17straight over the Pirates dating back to the 2013-14 season. The last time Pasco defeated Zephyrhills was Dec. 20, 2013.
“The rivalry is back with the quality of Pasco’s play,” Novak said. “We have won by 25-30 points over the years over Pasco. This game was nip and tuck the whole time. They are a much better team. They are going to open a lot of eyes.”