LINGLE – The Lingle-Fort Laramie boys’ basketball team went 3-0 at the Dogger Classic over the weekend, picking up wins over Kaycee, Encampment and Rock River.

“Our goal was to build off what we did last weekend,” LFL coach Chris Cook said. “The guys are buying in, and the rotation is working.”

That’s exactly what Lingle did.

Over the three games, the Doggers outscored the competition 252-98 over those three games.

On Friday morning, Lingle rolled to a 79-41 victory over the Kaycee Buckaroos.

LFL scored the first 10 points of the game in the first three minutes.

“They are a pretty good basketball team and the boys did a good job,” Cook said. “We were over 75% from two-point land. The boys up front create everything with awesome pressure defense. Then we have guys subbing in. Our rotation hits them with another wave.”

When freshman Brady Cook hit a shot to push the lead to double digits three minutes in, the Dogger lead never dipped below 10 for the remainder of the game.

By the end of the first quarter, Lingle led 22-7, pushing the advantage to 48-20 at halftime.

With 3:11 left in the game, Cook’s final points of the game, pushing the Dogger lead to 79-39, kicking in the running clock rule for the remainder of the contest.

Cook led the team with 24 points and six rebounds. He was one of four LFL players to hit double-figures in scoring. Sophomore Brody Roberts added 17 points, four assists and two steals, while senior Brian McCoid and junior Aidan Mattheus added 11 points each.

The win over Kaycee was the team’s lone game of the day since Hulett couldn’t make the trip south due to continued poor road conditions.

The next day, the Doggers opened the Saturday doubleheader with a 67-32 win over the Encampment Tigers.

The visitors kept things close for much of the first quarter.

With 1:20 left in the game, Cook gave the Doggers a 10-8 advantage, and the score was the start of an 18-0 run, spanning to the middle of the second quarter.

Encampment didn’t score against until there was less than four minutes left before halftime.

“They are a pretty good team, and we were able to create some pressure and everybody was able to get on the floor,” Cook said.

By that point, Lingle’s lead was 28-8, and it only continued to grow for the remainder of the game.

With 6:11 left in the game, McCoid’s old-fashioned 3-point play pushed the Dogger lead to 62-22, kicking in the running clock for the rest of the game.

McCoid led the team with 12 points and nine rebounds, while Mattheus, Roberts, sophomore Kaiden Riggs and Cook all added nine points each.

In the team’s final game of the weekend, the Doggers sailed to a 106-25 win over the Rock River Longhorns.

Lingle scored the first 14 points and didn’t allow Rock River to score a field goal until the 1:11 mark in the first quarter.

“We want to press because that’s our thing, and we pulled it off quickly,” Cook said. “The boys shot the ball. They shared the ball. We talk about one more pass, and they are making it and guys are shooting the ball in.”

LFL held a 37-3 lead after one quarter and added another 30 before halftime, taking a 67-7 lead into halftime.

With a running clock for the entire second half, the Doggers added 39 more points in the second half, pushing the lead to 81 points by the final horn.

Lingle shot a blistering 63% (46-of-73) from the floor, including 64% (9-of-14) from 3-point range. Eleven of the 12 Doggers to see the floor scored at least two points in the win, including six in double figures.

Cook led the team with 18 points and five assists, while freshman Anthony Arnusch added 17 points and four assists. Mattheus tallied 15 points and five steals, while sophomore Elijah Hatch added 13 points. Roberts had 12 points and McCoid 11.

The Doggers head into Christmas break with a 5-1 record and are the only team in Class 2A to be shooting above the 50% mark for the season at a 53.3% clip while holding teams to a class best 35 points per game.

“Our goal was to get a good start before Christmas, and we did that. Everybody has a role and niche they can see where they can be successful,” Cook said. “The break is always tricky. We want guys to be in shape, and we’ll be off for a little bit. We are going to practice as much as can that’s legal through the school. We’ll see all the teams up there that we’ll see at regionals. It’ll be a challenge. There are some good teams that will be up there, and it’s important to get everyone healthy.”

The Lingle boys head to the 2A East Tournament which will be held in Big Horn and Tongue River on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 6-7.