A packed gym and a raucous crowd greeted the Carlton and Fond du Lac boys basketball teams Tuesday night. The next-door neighbors took to the floor as the Ogichidaa were able to overcome a quick start by the Bulldogs and come away with an 88-74 victory in a game FDL led 45-30 at halftime.

"We started slow, but then got things clicking and I thought we controlled the game," said FDL coach Cameron Thompson. "We had some mismatches that we felt we could use to our advantage and we were able to do that for much of the game."

The Bulldogs struggled to find ways to stop Jordell Brown, who was strong on the glass and on defense and scored 23 points, as well as 6-foot-4 Dannin Savage. The FDL big man scored 26 points - all of which came in the paint.

"It was tough because I thought FDL shot the ball well, they played better in transition and we just didn't get some of the calls we thought we would," said Carlton coach Shawn Filipiak. "They posted up the big guy on us inside and we couldn't stop him. Brown was really the difference maker for them."

Offensively, Carlton's Jackson Korpela scored a game high 27 points and Luuke Korpela added 18 points.

The Ogichidaa pushed the lead throughout the game and were the beneficiaries of having five players score in double digits. Beyond Brown and Savage, they also got 10 points each from Anthony Reynolds, Mukwa Bellanger and Jordan Brown. Richard Hearle finished with six points and Reese Councilor scored three.

"We have a pretty well-rounded team and we look for mismatches," Thompson said. "Our guards are unselfish and shared the ball very well tonight. Since our big guys had the advantage, our guards found them and took advantage of it."

Dan Saletel

Carlton's Zandar Rubesh works his way around Fond du Lac's Dannin Savage as the Bulldogs host the Ogichidaa Tuesday night in Carlton.

Carlton also had impressive depth in scoring with four players in double digits. Joining Jackson and Luuke Korpela in double digits were Sam Ojibway with 14 points and Zandar Rubesh with 10 points. Dante Thompson finished with five points.

"It was a bit frustrating because we really work on our shooting in practice," Filipiak said. "We work on all kinds of shots, and when they don't fall it can be frustrating, and I think that was what happened tonight. We have too many peaks and valleys and we need to become more consistent."

The win improved the Ogichidaa record to 6-7 and the loss dropped the Bulldogs to the very same record of 6-7.