From the opening tip, the Lourdes Warriors proved to be too much for the Dover Dragons as the Warriors used a 9-0 run to start the game and never looked back en route to a 69-22 victory in the first game of the Dutchess County Coaches Association’s Christmas Tournament at Our Lady of Lourdes High School. Andrew Stallings paced Lourdes, who managed to put three different players in double figures, with 11 points. Garrett Heidt led the Dragons with 10 points.

Dover was able to narrow the margin slightly midway through the first quarter thanks to a 2-3 zone. Still, the stifling defense from the Warriors limited the opportunities for the Dragons on the offensive end and translated into numerous fast break points off of turnovers. Lourdes closed out the opening quarter with a 16-8 lead. In the second quarter, Lourdes found their groove offensively with Joe Zenz connecting from beyond the arc and Dylan Bledsoe and Alex Meyer’s work in the paint. Meyer’s two-handed dunks just after the six-minute mark extended the Warrior lead to 24-10. The teams entered halftime with the Warriors in control 39-14.

The second half began in the same way as the first half ended with Lourdes extending its dominating lead to almost 40 points while holding Dover to a minimal 16 points. The fourth quarter gave Lourdes Coach Jim Santoro an opportunity to rest his starters, but the bench continued the intense defensive effort and closed out the game with the 69-22 win to advance to the Championship of the Small School Bracket.

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