The Bulldogs defeated Grafton High School in the first round of the King’s Fork holiday tournament on Thursday.

King’s Fork played host to a Grafton team Thursday night that at the time only had two losses in eight games. The Bulldogs handed Grafton their third loss, a 56-36 rout. King’s Fork used a strong second-half defensive push to move past the Clippers.

“It was a good team effort,” Bulldogs coach Josh Worrell said. “Grafton is a really good team and somebody we could possibly see in the regional tournament if we get there. They are very well coached. I was pleased with our team’s effort.”

At halftime, the Bulldogs were only up three. In the third quarter, they were able to get a rhythm going that carried them through the rest of the second half. They were up by as much as 10 points in the third quarter and continued to build their lead in the fourth.

“We never let them feel like they could get back in the game, which is a positive for us,” Worrell said. “In recent games, we haven’t been able to do that at times. We were unable to keep a good team away and keep them uncomfortable. We did a good job executing what we wanted to do defensively.”

James Hatton led the way for the Bulldogs, with 22 points and seven steals.

“We get better every time we step on the court,” Hatton said of his team’s effort. “It all starts on the defensive end. That’s what gets us going.”

The win improves the Bulldogs to 7-2. Worrell likes the fact that his team is playing unselfishly right now. Each player is capable of having a big game, because the players like spreading the ball around.

“It’s a positive thing to see a team’s unselfish play,” Worrell said. “With the way we play, the open guy is going to make the shot. We don’t have to go to the same guy over and over and over.”