The New Haven Bulldogs fought the good fight in their overtime match against the Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian Braves on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Braves by a score of 54-51. New Haven has not had much luck with Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian recently, as the team's come up short the last six times they've met.
New Haven's loss came despite strong showings from Ajani Washington and Jeremiah Cottrell. Washington dropped a double-double on 21 points and 19 rebounds, while Cottrell dropped a double-double on 16 points and 12 rebounds. The match was Cottrell's third in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of James Hardy iv, who scored five points along with six rebounds.
Even though they lost, New Haven were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 22 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian only pulled down nine offensive rebounds.
Kellen Pickett was the offensive standout of the matchup as he dropped a triple-double on 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 blocks. Another player making a difference was Isaac Smith, who scored 16 points.
New Haven now has a losing record at 1-2. As for Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian, the win got them back to even at 1-1.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. New Haven will face off against Fort Wayne Wayne at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Fort Wayne Wayne presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than New Haven in Indiana (Fort Wayne Wayne is ranked 62nd, while New Haven is ranked 323rd). As for Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian, they will head out on the road to face off against Norwell at 7:30 p.m. on December 9th.
