*Junior, Ashton Holloway, 44, puts up another shot from the lane. He had 22 points against Ruskin.*

The Kearney Bulldog boys basketball team moved to a 4-3 Suburban Blue Conference record, taking down the conference-leading Ruskin Eagles 51-42 at the Kearney Field House on Tuesday, overcoming back-to-back home losses.

It’s no secret, opposing teams strategize defenses to curtail Senior, Brennan Watkins’ 24-points per game average. Head Coach Dillon Starzl had a good week of practice, preparing his Kearney Bulldogs for a tough Ruskin opponent with emphasis on minimizing turnovers and playing more consistent inside defenses.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 16-14 first quarter lead as Watkins and Ashton Holloway scored 8 points each. The offense stayed aggressive through the first half as Drew Gentry got on the board with 4 points and Watkins and Holloway combined for 11, taking a 31-24 halftime lead.

Kearney let Ruskin back in the game in the third quarter as three Bulldog turnovers led to 6 straight Ruskin points, giving the Eagles a 36-35 lead.

*Brennan Watkins on his way to 18 points on the evening.*

An exciting fourth quarter had Kearney playing tough defense and putting points up on Ruskin’s defensive schemes. Ashton Holloway led the way with 6 fourth-quarter points and 22 total points for the evening sealing the 51-42 victory.

Other point totals were Watkins with 18 overall, Drew Gentry with 5, Tyler Carr 4, and Braxton Breedlove with 2.

The Bulldogs move to 11-6 overall and face Platte County away this Friday, February 5 at 7:00 P.M.

KPGZ Sports – Mike Davis Contributed to this Story