Portland Boys Basketball Play Tough but Fall Short Against Bulldogs

The Ionia Bulldogs Boys Basketball team came to Portland on Friday night averaging 66 points a game in their first three games but were held to only 51 points by a scrappy and stingy Raider Defense. The Raiders dominated the boards defensively, but had trouble converting their advantage to offensive points, scoring only 40 points for the game, and losing by a score of 51-40.

The Bulldogs, who are now 2-2 on the season, started off hot in the first quarter by scoring 17 points, including five three-point shots, while the Raiders scored only 8 points. The Bulldogs outscored Portland 10-8 in the second quarter and 8-6 in the third. The fourth quarter saw the Raiders put together a six-point run, and outscore Ionia 18-16, getting as close as 48-40 before Ionia scored their last three points on free-throws.

Coach Dave Pettit reflected after the game that his team has “played three games with only six practices” under their belts so far this season. The Raiders, who are now 1-2 on the season, have three more games before the Christmas break begins on December 21st. Pettit is looking forward to the break as a time, “to work on extra conditioning” and to prepare the next eight games in January.

David Svanda led Portland’s scoring against the Bulldog’s with 12 points, followed by Aryan Vick with 10, Blake Patrick with 8, Owen Russell with 7 (all in the 4th quarter), and Gavin McGregor with 3.

The Bulldogs were led by Nick Syzmaski and Brady Swinehart with 18 points each.

The Raiders will play two games at home next week against Lansing Christian Tuesday, December 11th at 5:30 and against Lansing Sexton at 7:00 on Thursday.