The Calvary Lutheran Lions continually closed the gap.
But they couldn’t clear that gap.
“A lot of it had to do with our energy today,” Calvary coach Beau Monson said Wednesday afternoon after the Lions dropped a 66-58 decision to the Dixon Bulldogs at Calvary Lutheran. “A game in the middle of the day, the boys not being school, whatever it might be, it was something we were battling.
“We told the boys we needed to create our own energy and we had problems doing that at times.”
Gallery: Calvary Lutheran Boys Basketball vs. Dixon
The Lions got off to a good start to the game, with a 3-pointer by Jesse Jorgensen giving them a 12-4 lead about five minutes into the contest.
But the Bulldogs answered. Drew Young hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to pull Dixon to within three at 12-9, then he hit a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions to start the second quarter to give the Bulldogs a 15-12 advantage.
Dixon never trailed again. The Bulldogs led by as many as nine points late in the second quarter before a short jumper by Kwesi Hall pulled the Lions to within 28-21 at intermission.
Dixon, which had five first-quarter turnovers, didn’t have any in the second quarter.
“The second quarter really hurt us,” Monson said. “When we get the lead in games, we have to keep our foot on the gas pedal. We need to continue to play with a sense of urgency at all times.”
The Bulldogs led 40-28 a little more than three minutes into the third quarter before the Lions mounted a charge.
Kyle Hagemeyer hit two free throws to cut the deficit to 10, then Jaxson Jobe had two steals and scores in a :10 span to trim Dixon’s lead to 40-34.
Jobe had eight of his nine points in the third quarter.
“He hasn’t shown it a lot so far this season, but we know he can do what he did today and hopefully this sparks him for the rest of the season,” Monson said.
Calvary got as close as a point on a pair of occasions in the the third quarter, the last coming after a short jumper by Hall made it 44-43 with 1:45 left.
Dixon came back with six straight points before a pair of free throws by Hagemeyer with :00 on the clock made it 50-45.
“They had threats all over the floor,” Monson said. “They are a team that’s not going to just let you come back on them, you have to work hard to do it.”
Dixon scored six of the first eight points in the fourth quarter to take a 56-47 advantage. Calvary had one more run, closing to within two at 57-55 after a 3-pointer by Hall with 2:20 remaining.
“There were a lot of big momentum swings,” Monson said.
The last momentum swing went Dixon’s way as it scored the next five points to seal the win. The Bulldogs were 16-of-25 from the field in the second half.
“It’s a good wake-up call,” Monson said. “When you play someone like this, you have to be ready to compete and generate the energy you need.”
Drake Young finished with 21 points for Dixon (6-5), while Drew Young added 17 and Thomas McBride chipped in with 12.
Hall had a game-high 22 points for Calvary, while Hagemeyer added 17 points and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds.
Calvary was 20-of-51 from the field, but just 13-of-35 on 2-pointers.
“We missed a lot of chip shots,” Monson said. “A lot of our game-plan was to attack the middle of their defense, get the ball in the lane. The shots just weren’t falling.”
It was the first game in two weeks for Calvary.
“We try to keep our practices as up-tempo as we can, but it’s hard to simulate a game,” Monson said. “We played four games close together to start the season and then have a big break, it can be tough.
“But it’s still the game of basketball and you need to come out and play.”
Calvary will play Dec. 29 at Chamois.
In Wednesday’s JV game, Dixon defeated Calvary 45-29. Landon Vandegriffe finished with 11 points for the Lions, while Israel Cobian pulled down 10 rebounds.