Coyote Basketball: Team shows heart in loss to Nashua

Up until the second half of their game against the Nashua Porcupines, the Dodson Coyotes have been kept quiet on the few scoreboards they have seen this season.

Though the Coyotes lost 67-36 to the Porcupines, the young team put up a great effort scoring 29 points in the second half.

Jasper Doney was more than a pleasant surprise, scoring a team lead 16 points.

"I was tired of them going after it, so I decided to go after it and just go," Doney said.

Doney may have also put the theory that posts cant shoot free throws to rest as he was eight of nine behind the line.

"During practice we usually have to make 20 a day, we've been going up to 30," Doney said. "We have to keep shooting until we hit thirty."

There is also the pressure that if you miss the whole team has to run.

Fourteen of his points came after halftime.

Doney, a second year Coyote has noticed a drastic difference in this years team, as opposed to last year's.

"We actually play like a team this year," Doney said. "Last year we kind of didn't."

Doney admitted he was tired of losing, so he played hard that night.

Lane Walling was another breath of fresh air, as he put up eight points in the second half.

"Coach got us real determined to play as a team," Walling told the PCN.

Walling hit two big treys in the fourth quarter.

"My dad helps me out a lot with shooting," Walling said.

An even more refreshing thing about the 5'3" junior, is the fact that Walling does not back down in the paint, contesting shots and rebounds at any given time. This has been noticed all year by spectators.

Walling said he didn't know where he learned how to box out so well, "but it felt really good," he said.

Walling was a manager for the Malta Mustangs last season, but knew he wanted to play, rather than spectate.

"It feels really good," Walling said. "I like being on a smaller team. You get to play more."

After being down 19-0, not only did Dodson slow Nashua down in the second quarter they put up 18 points in the fourth which is a season high for the team.

Young point guard Gavin Fox fought hard in the game, he and Tyrese Messerly an eighth grader handled the ball well, in spite of the barrage of pressure they faced that night.

Stephen Ereaux and Fox both had five points in the loss. David Jaynes had two points.

Senior Trevor Banyai also showed some great ball-handling in the loss.

The team credits their hard work during break for the effort they were able to put forth.

"We got a lot of rest and the practices were not too easy," Doney said with a smile.

Walling said that the hardest part of the practices were the machine gun drills.

Not to be confused with artillery, the drills included many movements you would see in football practices including knee highs.

Doney feels more confident after the break than before.

"More confident because we weren't in shape the first couple of weeks of practice but during Christmas break we got in shape," he said.

The Nashua Porcupines were led by Junior Lane Nichels who scored 19 points.

Sophomore Dalton Kautz added 12 points to the effort, ten of which came in the third quarter.

Brayden Jackson scored 10.

Dodson also lost to the Turner Tornadoes last Friday 59-25.

Jaynes and Ereaux led the team, scoring six points a piece.

Doney had four points. Walling, Messerly and Fox added 3 a piece.

The team's next game was against Harlem's JV, those stats are to come next week, but here's what Doney and Walling had to say about the game before it happened.

"I'm excited because I have family on that team," Doney said.

"I'm excited too," added Walling. "We've gotta pressure them on defense and get some steals and play as a team."

The Coyotes have a tough task ahead of them as they face the Hinsdale Raiders at 6 p.m. on Saturday in Dodson.