High-flying Hounds have fun in win over Clark County

FORT MADISON – This Fort Madison Bloodhounds’ team is a just a little special.
The Fort Madison Bloodhounds boys basketball team has won three of its last four games including Tuesday’s 73-60 win over visiting Clark County in a non-conference tilt.
But it’s the way they are winning that’s becoming a little special.
For the first time in a long time, these Hounds want to play above the rim. The Hounds  (5-2, 7-5) flushed two balls in the win over the Indians, but went after about five more including two alley-oop assists that just missed.
Every one of the Hounds starting five can get above the rim with guards Julian Dear and Nolan Guzman each getting after it Tuesday night as well. Dear, and high-flying Kenden Bowie both had dunks Tuesday night with Bowie just missing on two other attempts.
“We always want to play fast and get up and down. That’s who we are. And when we have the athletes that we’re fortunate to have, that makes it a little easier – a little more fun,” Head Coach Ryan Wilson said after the game.
“The things that Kenden can do Dayton can do, he just hasn’t found himself in those situations as much. Darius (Foy) at 6’8” and Nolan as a guard and Julian as a guard - those guys can go.”
Even Lucas Helmick tried to get one down off the bench in the final few minutes.
“We just wanna go. We wanna push and do those things, but we have got to take better care of the dang basketball when we do it. We had nine turnovers in the first half. We had some opportunities to do some things, but we just have to make better passes.”
Clark County was outmanned and were a much smaller team but hung around with the Hounds for about 12 minutes of the first half even managing to grab a 3-point lead at the start of the second period.
Harrison Parker scored inside to give Clark County a 21-18 lead, but Foy countered at the other end and got hacked on the play. He converted the free throw to tie things up at 21. The Hounds got a stop and then Dear scored off a nice bounce assist from Nolan Guzman across the lane to take a 23-21 lead.
Fort Madison would put together a 9-2 run capped by another Dear. bucket, but Parker and Corrick Hunziker would battle back off a steal and a couple defensive stops to tie things again at 27.

The Bloodhounds would then find another gear.
Bowie would score on a bucket inside and Dear would rattle off eight of the Hounds next 10 for a 39-32 lead that would grow the rest of the night.
Hunziker would get another bucket for Clark County before Guzman would convert back-to-back 3-balls for a 45-33 halftime lead.
Out of the break the Hounds would push the lead to 15 on a nice two-step move by Dear in the lane for a 52-37 lead and it was all Fort Madison the rest of the way.
Wilson would dump the bench with about two minutes left in the fourth quarter with the game firmly in hand.
He said turnovers and steals will be costly as the post-season draws near, and the Bloodhounds need to get that under control right away.
The Hounds have Southeast foe Burlington in town Friday night and then host Class 1A 9th-ranked Burlington Notre Dame on Saturday. Then they travel to West Hancock for an Illinois game before tangling with Washington at home, Mt. Vernon at Wells-Fargo Arena on Feb. 8, and then Davis County, Keokuk, and Muscatine, all on the road. They wrap up the regular season at home with Ottumwa on Feb. 18.
The Hounds are averaging close to 60 points a game and are holding opponents to mid 50s.
“As fast as we’re playing offensively, we need to get back and play that fast on defense, too and that’s not always so easy,” he said. “We give up some open shots when we run at that pace, but we still have to take care of the ball and we need to do that ASAP.”
Wilson said that’s gonna be a tough run of games and could define the Hounds for the post-season where they are equipped to make a run at state.
“We’re gonna have a stretch and we’re gonna play a lot of tough teams,” he said. It’s gonna be a struggle if we don’t take care of the ball better. We scored enough points to win, but…”
Bowie had a game-high 23 for the Hounds. Nolan Guzman had 17, Dear had 15, and Darius Foy added 11 to put four players in double figures.