Saxons KO Bulldogs

Ryan Lowdermilk shot 7 of 11 for a game-high 19 points for the Bulldogs Monday night, but it was not enough as Langley's Daniel Dixon matched his effort with 19 points and led the Saxons in a dominant fourth quarter to defeat Stone Bridge in Ashburn, 71-55.

Before the game, Stone Bridge Head Coach Sonny Green said his team has hustled all season but needs to improve in certain areas in order to win.

"It's frustrating because the kids are working hard and not seeing it in the win column," Green said. "We need to make better passes on offense and become more solid on defense."

The Bulldogs did start off passing the ball well and played strong zone defense while matching the Saxons shot for shot in the first four minutes of the game behind a mid-tempo half-court game until Dixon came off the bench for Langley and lit it up to give the Saxons a 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter, 19-9. 

David Adams stormed the paint off backside screens and easy layups for 11 points, leading Langley in domineering fashion in the post. Meanwhile, the Bulldog offense was forced to shoot from the perimeter and could not draw fouls around the arc.

The Saxons led by as many as 17 points before the half but Lowdermilk and Danny Eleazer combined for eight steals to score off easy transition points and reduce the Langley lead to seven at the break.

Dixon and Lowdermilk exchanged points for their respective teams in a third-quarter battle. Dixon chose to sink jumpers from outside while Lowdermilk drove hard to the basket to give Stone Bridge the inside game it had been looking for.

The Bulldogs outscored the Saxons in the third quarter, 21-17 and it looked like a comeback was likely for Stone Bridge. However, Braden Anderson scorched his way through Bulldog defenders to go 4 of 5 for12 points and stretch the Saxon lead to 15 with less than four minutes to play in regulation.

Stone Bridge hustled hard but got sloppy on turnovers and sent Langley to the stripe on several fouls, giving the Saxons opportunities to score and stay aggressive.

Lowdermilk said free throws became crucial in the game and unfortunately Langley outplayed Stone Bridge in that aspect.

"We put them on the line too many times and they made them in the clutch. They shot more free throws and made them and that didn't help," Lowdermilk said. "We have to work on our defense more because we gave up 71 points and we need to work and try better."

Stone Bridge's record dropped to 2-9 on the season while the Saxons improved to 5-6.

Dixon said he was impressed with the Bulldog defense but his team has improved its fast break game in recent weeks.

"Every time we come in here, they play good defense and we just played well today," Dixon said. "We have been trying to put in this new method of running because we are so fast and it's working really well."

Langley Head Coach Travis Hess said he was very proud of Dixon's performance, however, he said his offense played a little risky towards the end.

"I just think that we were able to get what we wanted early and Dixon came off the bench and provided a huge spark we needed," Hess said. "We turned over the ball too much and let them back in it and a lot of that was because of Ryan Lowdermilk."

Stone Bridge plays at South Lakes Jan. 6 at 7:30 p.m.