Bulldogs Withstand the Hornet Swarm to Grind Out a 70-62 Win Over Hillcrest

RoMoAthletics
Jan 15
4 min read

Mr. Momentum. Senior Landen Richter at an earlier home game. (Photo Courtesy of RBarth Photopraphy.)

January 14th, 2026

The Bulldogs knew heading into Tuesday’s match-up of former Ozark Conference rivals and the 8 ranked Class 5 Hillcrest Hornets was going to be a battle, but I’m not sure anyone was ready for that first quarter.

The Swarm

The #5 Class 6 Bulldogs took the early lead by scoring the first 4 points, but Hillcrest would respond from deep and often on their way to a 26 point first quarter where they went 6-6 from deep. The barrage of 3’s came from 4 different players which made it tough on the Bulldogs defense.

While the Hornets shot 66.7% overall in the quarter, the Bulldogs were on the opposite end. As in the exact opposite. With Hillcrest shooting 100% from the 3, the Bulldogs were 0-5 and only shooting 28% from the field. Trailing by as much as 16 points in the opening quarter, it was 6’1” Sr guard Landen Richter who came off the bench and got an offensive putback as time expired to make the score 12-26.

The Response

The minute break between quarters allowed Coach Mark Miller to rally the troops and build upon the spark that Richter gave the Bulldogs.

The senior dominant Bulldogs went on a 12-5 run to start quarter 2 including back-to-back 3 pointers by 6’4” Sr guard Ethan Brown. Brown, who was held to just 2 points in the first quarter, made sure Hillcrest understood why he is the all-time leading scorer in Rolla HS history, as he erupted for 16 points in the quarter shooting a perfect 7-7 from the field.

Hillcrest may not have continued to shoot 100% from three but they still were on fire all night going 3-6 from behind the arc to help them weather our storm. 6’4” Sr sharpshooter Cooper Gideon continues his hot shooting as a 3 pointer in the final 2 minutes of the half sparked another run for the Bulldogs that helped them close the gap to 1 point before a buzzer beater by Hillcrest finishing the first half, with the Bulldogs trailing, 33-37.

Taking Control

Hillcrest opened the scoring in the second half with their 10th 3 of the game, but the Bulldogs said enough is enough and went on to score the next 11 points in just over 2 minutes of play including 3 - 3 pointers by Brown, putting the Bulldogs up 44-40.

Throughout the rest of the quarters, the two teams exchange blows with the Bulldogs extending the lead to 51-43, but Hillcrest battles back with the next 7 pts to make it a 1 pt game 51-50. The Bulldogs needed an answer, so that meant it was time for Mr. Momentum to make an appearance and once it again, Richter answered the call.

The Bulldog defense ratcheted up and forced an errant pass by Hillcrest that traveled into the backcourt. The inexperienced Hornet player was hesitant to pick it up for fear of having a back court violation but the Bulldogs are a team full of experience and the hustling Richter recognized what was happening and sprinted after the ball, gathering himself and calmly knocking down the 3 pointer extending the Bulldog lead.

Closing it Out

Heading into the 4th quarter with a 55-50 lead, the Bulldogs knew that the Hornets would be making another push and they did. Hillcrest was able to battle back with some timely hustle plays and active hands of their own. They cut the Bulldog lead to 2 with 3 minutes left in the game, Rolla up 59-57.

As the Bulldogs worked the clock and took advantage of their veteran experience, the ball movement forced the Hornets to scramble which allowed Brown to find the returning All-District 6’2” Jenson Thomas in the corner for a crucial 3 point bucket that was the Buzz Kill for the Hornets. Thomas, who had come up hobbling on a drive to the basket in the previous quarter, showed his metal at crunch time.

Brown was able to close it out from the line, going 6-6 down the stretch as the Hornets were forced to foul, securing the 70-62 victory.

Wrap Up

Hillcrest shot a blistering 56.5% from 3 for the game including 6-6 in the first quarter and 7-7 to start the game. The Bulldogs trailed by 16 in the first quarter. Coach Miller was pleased with how the Bulldogs rallied after that opening quarter. “They (Hillcrest) shot lights out and we still beat them on their floor. The guys were resilient and strong mentally tonight. Great win!”

While the Bulldogs were 0-5 from 3 in the opening quarter, they heated up shooting 60% for the rest of the game. But it was their ability to attack the basket that proved to be the difference, getting 30 points in the paint. This combined with having the lead at the end, gave them the FT edge 9-11 versus 1-3 and Brown going 8-8

Another key stat for the Bulldogs was turning their defense into offense as Rolla held a 17-4 edge in points off turnovers. Getting 9 steals and only committing 6 turnovers while giving 14 assists was huge for the comeback.

How did Coach Miller feel about the Bulldogs efforts to close out the game… he was all smiles. “Rick (Landen Richter) and JT (Jenson Thomas) hit a couple of monster threes for us and having Train (Brown) close it out on the line was key.”

Bulldog big man, 6’8” Sr forward Paxton Ledbetter, is starting to return to form after battling some nagging injuries. He tallied 8 points, pulling down 4 boards, handing out 3 assists and blocking 2 shots with extended minutes versus Branson.