A Win is a Win... Boys Squeak By, While Girls Dominate Rockwood
It's Jan 12, 2026 - and we are coming off of a slate of away games in far away places like Oneida and Sweetwater. Those wreak havoc on writing up games consistently. My hat is off to all the families that are travelling - as the fan base has been diligent to fill up the bleachers near and far. Tonight, the Bulldogs took on Rockwood for the first time this season. Rockwood is traditionally coached well by one of the longest-tenured coaches in our area. Although both the boys and girls teams are coming off fresh road losses versus Oneida, there was a lot to like in those games. Both teams battled through the whole game, and both teams looked like they belonged (despite coming up short in the end). So how would they fare against Rockwood?
First up were the Wartburg Boys Junior Varsity. Led by sophomores Reid Quinney and Noah Ward and Freshman Jackson Seay - the boys were looking like a well-oiled machine in the first half. They went into the half leading comfortably (approximately) 21-10. The problems began in the second half. All of a sudden, they lost their mojo. They went from scoring in a variety of ways to being held close to scoreless. The 3rd quarter saw them add 4 points to their total - and the 4th quarter wasn't much better. It's a bad sign to see the Head Coach giving the JV a stern talking to mid-game - but that's where the Wartburg JV found themselves when they hit their funk in the second half. Even with a rough second half - they were still in it and had a possible opportunity to win it at the end. Ultimately - it didn't come together at the end and Rockwood snuck a JV win to start the night. Look for them to clean up some of their missteps Tuesday against Midway.
Next up was the Girls Varsity. The Girls come into this one at (3-8) on the season and 2 straight tough road losses. While that may sound like a rough season - it really has been a fun team to watch! These girls are coached well and they clean up mistakes after every game. They are a very consistent group of seven that always gives an astounding, spirited effort. This was a game where the Bulldogs jumped out to a lead... and never looked back. With hot shooting from Braylen Melton and a career game from Jordyn "Pit Bull" Pemberton - the Lady Bulldogs put up their season best 66 points in this one - topping their 65 point effort against Eagleton all the way back in November! Great work ladies! Let's keep it rolling! Now (4-8), the ladies take on the Midway Green Wave on Tuesday.
Last up was the Boys Varsity. This would definitely prove to be a tough game. Where Rockwood has a sort of slow, methodical style of play - and Wartburg is known more for running their opponents to death - it would remain to be seen which style would stymie the other. Out of 9 games this season where Wartburg has scored 50+, they are (8-1)... but out of the 4 games they have failed to reach 50 points, they are (0-4). This was a physical game that went more in line with the Rockwood style of play... but it also broke the mold for the Bulldogs. They did, indeed, fail to reach 50 points... but they held Rockwood even lower - taking their 9th win of the season with a score of 49-46 getting back to their winning ways!
Below are a few thoughts from the last few games...
First up were the Wartburg Boys Junior Varsity. Led by sophomores Reid Quinney and Noah Ward and Freshman Jackson Seay - the boys were looking like a well-oiled machine in the first half. They went into the half leading comfortably (approximately) 21-10. The problems began in the second half. All of a sudden, they lost their mojo. They went from scoring in a variety of ways to being held close to scoreless. The 3rd quarter saw them add 4 points to their total - and the 4th quarter wasn't much better. It's a bad sign to see the Head Coach giving the JV a stern talking to mid-game - but that's where the Wartburg JV found themselves when they hit their funk in the second half. Even with a rough second half - they were still in it and had a possible opportunity to win it at the end. Ultimately - it didn't come together at the end and Rockwood snuck a JV win to start the night. Look for them to clean up some of their missteps Tuesday against Midway.
Next up was the Girls Varsity. The Girls come into this one at (3-8) on the season and 2 straight tough road losses. While that may sound like a rough season - it really has been a fun team to watch! These girls are coached well and they clean up mistakes after every game. They are a very consistent group of seven that always gives an astounding, spirited effort. This was a game where the Bulldogs jumped out to a lead... and never looked back. With hot shooting from Braylen Melton and a career game from Jordyn "Pit Bull" Pemberton - the Lady Bulldogs put up their season best 66 points in this one - topping their 65 point effort against Eagleton all the way back in November! Great work ladies! Let's keep it rolling! Now (4-8), the ladies take on the Midway Green Wave on Tuesday.
Last up was the Boys Varsity. This would definitely prove to be a tough game. Where Rockwood has a sort of slow, methodical style of play - and Wartburg is known more for running their opponents to death - it would remain to be seen which style would stymie the other. Out of 9 games this season where Wartburg has scored 50+, they are (8-1)... but out of the 4 games they have failed to reach 50 points, they are (0-4). This was a physical game that went more in line with the Rockwood style of play... but it also broke the mold for the Bulldogs. They did, indeed, fail to reach 50 points... but they held Rockwood even lower - taking their 9th win of the season with a score of 49-46 getting back to their winning ways!
Below are a few thoughts from the last few games...
Never Skip Arm Day - Maxx Armes
The last couple of games, we have had a particular ref... I don't know his name - and he seems fine enough as a referee. But the one distinguishing feature for this gentleman - is that he NEVER.....SKIPS..... ARM...... DAY!!!! While I don't know his real name - I refer to him as Maxx Armes (as if I know him). When you sit in a gym and watch hours and hours of basketball, multiple nights per week - sometimes you just have to make up storylines to entertain yourself on the breaks. No? Just me? Well, next time you see him - tell Maxx Armes good job!
Be Solid!
I can't speak for everyone... but I know the feedback that I get from my son is that Assistant Coach Bryson Boles is the GOAT. Not just a favorite for the time being - he'll go down as a major influencer on this Wartburg team. Well, Bryson came in this year rocking a mullet and a beard... and it dawned on me at Sweetwater what his name needed to be. It's Yukon Cornelius from the old school Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer clay-mation. Because I got home so late from Sweetwater, I thought maybe I'd write it up after the next night... and then at Oneida... Coach Boles walks in clean shaven! And RUINS my thought process for a funny joke!
Beard or no beard - he's Yukon Cornelius to me now. You can always hear him shouting "Be Solid" from the sidelines - and it's clear that the team understands what he means. Maybe the funniest story... "We'll be going over something important related to the game plan - Travis will have a bunch of stuff written out on the board... get to the end, and Bryson chimes in with, 'Oh Coach - one more thing," (as he erases everything on the board) - and simply writes - "Go out there and get some!" To all the assistant coaches out there putting in the work with our kids... Thank you!
Beard or no beard - he's Yukon Cornelius to me now. You can always hear him shouting "Be Solid" from the sidelines - and it's clear that the team understands what he means. Maybe the funniest story... "We'll be going over something important related to the game plan - Travis will have a bunch of stuff written out on the board... get to the end, and Bryson chimes in with, 'Oh Coach - one more thing," (as he erases everything on the board) - and simply writes - "Go out there and get some!" To all the assistant coaches out there putting in the work with our kids... Thank you!
Pacman Points Watch
Against Oneida, there were so many photographers standing around - it seemed like something big was happening. And then, in the girls game, a girl hit a basket that seemed to be more than just a few points. The place went nuts - the cameras were flashing - and an announcement was made celebrating a player reaching 1,000 career points. Paxton Quinney is leading the Bulldogs in points with 268 after tonight's contest against Rockwood... so how high can we go? Is 1,000 career points the high water mark it's cracked up to be?
Quinney is at 268...
He is averaging over 19 points per game...
There are 12 games left...
If Quinney maintains an average of 19 points per game over his last 12 games of the regular season - he'll tack on another 228.
That would yield a total of 496! That's huge!
To put it in context - Oneida celebrated a 1,000 point career... Quinney is knocking on the door of getting half of that in a single year. No pressure - but 500 would be cool. Just saying...
Quinney is at 268...
He is averaging over 19 points per game...
There are 12 games left...
If Quinney maintains an average of 19 points per game over his last 12 games of the regular season - he'll tack on another 228.
That would yield a total of 496! That's huge!
To put it in context - Oneida celebrated a 1,000 point career... Quinney is knocking on the door of getting half of that in a single year. No pressure - but 500 would be cool. Just saying...
Wilks Breaks the Seal!
A player that has been waiting in the wings for an opportunity is sophomore Levi Wilks. Wilks shows up to work and gives his all but has had trouble cracking the roster because of the depth on Travis Nelson's team. No matter how you slice it - there are only so many minutes to go around. On Jan. 8, the Bulldogs got out to a commanding lead heading into the 4th quarter - and some of the bench players began to get extra opportunities. Wilks was one of those players - and he made the most of his minutes. Wilks has been working hard for a year and a half - and his work paid off as Sweetwater sent him to the free throw line. Missing the first one, the pressure was on to hit the second one and secure some points - and he knocked the 2nd one down to get on the stat sheet! Great work Levi! Seems like a good time for a new nickname for this young man!
On Tuesday - we take on the Midway Green Wave at home. Make sure to come out to support the JV at 5 PM, the girls Varsity at 6:30 PM, and the boys varsity at 8 PM.
Go Dogs!
