4th Quarter Struggles Lead to Bulldogs Loss

RoMoAthletics
Jan 11
4 min read

Senior Ethan Brown in an earlier game against Marshfield. (Photo courtesy of RBarth Photography)

January 11th, 2026

It was a 4th quarter that the Bulldogs would love to have back, that sealed the fate in a 65-73 loss to the Class 4 #2 ranked Benton Cardinals out of St. Joseph. Taking a lead into the final quarter of play, a sluggish end to the 3rd quarter carried over to the 4th as the Bulldog shooting failed to find its mark and they were out rebounded 12-1.

Hot shooting was on full display in the opening quarter of Day 2 at the Thousand Hills Battle in Branson shootout by both teams. Benton started off hot in the first quarter shooting 69% from 2 and 67% from deep while the Bulldogs were perfect from 2 and shot 41.2% from 3. The difference was the 16 shot attempts by the Cardinals versus the Bulldog 11 in the quarter as a result of the Bulldogs giving Benton more possessions by allowing 4 offensive rebounds and having 2 turnovers.

It was 6’8” Sr forward Paxton Ledbetter that recorded the first bucket of the game on a 3 pointer from the top of the key. That lead was short lived as the two teams exchanged baskets on the next few possessions before Benton extended the lead to as much as 9 points in the quarter. A deep 3 pointer by 6’4” Sr guard Cooper Gideon at the buzzer cut the lead to 5.

Rolla was able to retake the lead at the 4:38 mark of 2nd quarter after a steal by 6’4 Sr Guard Ethan Brown. Brown immediately looked ahead and found the speedy 6’2” Sr guard Jenson Thomas on the sideline who raced out ahead and past the defender for a layup at the rim giving the Bulldogs a 30 to 29 lead.

The Bulldogs took a 39-37 into halftime but it was short lived as on the opening possession a Cardinal player who was shooting just 16% from 3pt on the season knocked down a 3pt shot from the top of the key. Benton kept the lead until 1:43 left in the 3rd quarter, when Brown was fouled on a drive to the basket and then hit two free throws to take the lead, 51-49.

The Bulldog D responded with a stop and off the miss the ball was kicked up ahead to 6’1” Sr guard Landen Richter who pushed it down court and found a streaking Cooper Gideon filling the lane. Richter called on his inner Jason Williams as he delivered a pinpoint behind the back pass to Gideon for the layup and what appeared to be game changing momentum.

Another stop by the Bulldog defense looked like they were going to hold for the last shot going into the final period but a Bulldog turnover with 5 seconds left gave the opportunity for 6’6” Sr guard Lincoln Goodwin to get down the court and put up a contested running 3 point shot from the top of the key to cut the Bulldog lead back to 1, 53-52.

The 4th Quarter

The Bulldogs were only able to muster 12 points in the last period going 0-3 from behind the arc, 2-6 from the charity stripe and 5-9 from 2. Despite shooting 41% from 3pt for the game, the Bulldogs were 0-5 in the 2nd half.

Benton fared no better from the field, however after only one free throw attempt the entire game, the Cardinals were able to reach the free throw line 14 times in the final quarter knocking down 11 of them.

It was an unaccustomed drop off in the final quarter for the experienced Bulldogs as they only tallied 1 assist in the quarter but 5 turnovers.

Losing Control of the Glass

The Bulldog woes on the boards proved to be the final straw as they were outrebounded by the Cardinals in the 4th quarter 12-1 including giving up 4 offensive rebounds. For the game, Rolla was -17 in rebounds overall for the game. They gave up 15 offensive rebounds to the Cardinals which gave 12 more shot attempts to Benton that proved to be the difference in the game.

Wrap Up

Overall, it was a great weekend for the Bulldogs in regards to how they competed against top level competition. It is a great experience to take into the second half of the season and to prepare them for a post-season run. A lot of positives to build upon as well as opportunities to get better.

Brown finished with 32 points averaging 32.5 ppg and 6.5 apg for the weekend. Thomas went 5-5 from 2 for the game as he was able to attack the basket and get some much needed buckets in transition. Gideon found his shooting stroke, going 2-4 from 3 for the game and 7-12 for the weekend, shooting an impressive 58% from the 3pt line.

The Bulldogs must get better on the boards and specifically on the offensive end if they are going to make that run. They gave up 33 offensive rebounds in Branson between the two games. Maintaining their block-outs and then going and getting the ball is an area of focus as well as securing the ball. Play will only become more physical and the Bulldogs will need to match that physicality and intensity going forward.