Fresh off a big win over Bridgeport on Friday, the Alliance boy’s basketball team was back on the court Saturday in a contest against Gothenburg. Using a strong zone defense, G Burg bested Alliance 56 to 37 as the Dogs dropped to 6 and 6 on the year. The affair was played in Alliance. Gothenburg held the Bulldogs to single digit scoring in three of the four periods in getting the win. Senior Espen Lanik led the Dog O with 14 points. Alliance led 22 to 21 at half but would manage just 15 tallies in the third and fourth quarters, making just 4 baskets. The Swedes also got the win in the JV ball game, downing the Dogs 49 to 34.
Fans of defense were treated to a low scoring first period. AHS would muster just 7 points in the opener while GB was held to 6. An early free throw by Alliance’s Jaden Guerra plus 2 straight treys by Lanik got the Dogs off to 7 to 0 lead at the 5 minute mark. Slowly, the guests pulled close. Alliance would go scoreless in the final stages of the quarter while 6 straight tallies by GB made it a close game at the end of the period. Heading to the second, AHS led 7 to 6.
Both squads would put 15 points into the scoring column in the second. An old fashion three point play by the visitors early in the second gave Gothenburg their first lead at 9 to 7. Alliance answered right back with 2 hoops by Lanik and a three by Trevor Zurn to retake the lead at 14 to 11 at the midway point. The game’s next 5 points came from the guests as the Swedes surged ahead 16 to 14. Down 2, a bucket by Bulldog Braeden Clarke then knotted the contest at 16 with 4 minutes left in the half. The clubs traded scores in the next few minutes with the Dogs getting hoops by Zurn and Lexton Salcido. A pair of free throws by Guerra finished the half with AHS up 22 to 21.
Quarter #3 was rough for the Dogs. Alliance was outscored 21 to 9 in the period. A big spree by Gothenburg at the midway point gave the guests a nice comfortable cushion. Two early free throws by Lanik along with a 3 point play by Clarke kept the Dogs out in front early on. Down 27 to 26, it was the visitors making all the plays while the Alliance O went cold. The Swedes ran off 12 in a row to take a 38 to 27 advantage with under 3 minutes remaining in the period. Guerra stopped the spurt with a deuce but the teams would swap points in the final stages. Two Clarke free throws finish the Alliance scoring in the period and the game went to the fourth with the Bulldogs down 42 to 31.
Five quick tallies by the visitors is how the fourth started. Gothenburg’s lead grew to 16 at the 6 minute mark. Free throws by Lanik and a score by Guerra kept the Dogs close but it was all Swedes down the stretch. G Burg held the Dogs without a score while it extended its margin in the final moments with a 2 pointer and a trey. Alliance’s last score came from Nason Thompson. Final Swedes 56 Bulldogs 37
GB 6 15 21 14 56
ALL 7 15 9 6 37
Scoring for Alliance Lanik 14 Clarke 7 Guerra 7 Zurn 5 Salcido 2 Thompson 2
Alliance will host Chadron on Friday.