Bulldogs take down Lake Gibson 65-46 in preseason classic
Zephyrhills jumped out to a dominating early lead and went on to a 65-46 win over Lake Gibson in the opening game of the Bulldog Preseason Classic Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs and Braves were tied at 4-4 in the first quarter before coach Mike Novak’s squad went on a 20-3 run to close out the quarter 25-7. Both teams played tight the rest of the way as the Bulldogs rolled to a 19-point win.
“Our guys have been working hard in practice and wanted to come out focused,” Novak said of his team’s quick start. “We have to play hard from the get-go. It’s the first game. We have a lot of work to do.”
The hard work tonight came from the trio of Jimmy McCauley, Kevin Pagan and Preston Linville. McCauley led all scorers with 16 followed by Pagan with 14 and Linville with 13.
McCauley, a 6-foot-4 center, turned guard, was the floor general for the Bulldogs.
“He did a great job. He controlled the ball game,” Novak said. “The position switch is a learning curve.”
Novak was able to get all of his players into the game with 11 players scoring points for the Bulldogs.
“All of the guys have been working so hard in practice and my hardest job is figure which five get on the floor at once,” Novak said. “They all deserve to play more. Unfortunately I can only play five at a time.”