D.J. Carton, Bettendorf take down Cedar Rapids Washington

CEDAR RAPIDS — D.J. Carton is good. No, D.J. Carton is great.

When his teammates shoot it like they did Saturday afternoon at the U.S. Cellular Center, Bettendorf is great, too.

The Class 4A third-ranked Bulldogs hit 11 of 21 3-pointers and pulled away in the second half to smash Cedar Rapids Washington, 72-50, as part of the Wells Fargo Advisors Shootout.

'We started out fast, then kind of got into a slump there ...,' Carton said. 'Coach got on us. We're going to face some adversity, and we've got to learn from that. That's what I love, running into that adversity and just jumping back, coming back and playing that well in the second half. That's what I love about my teammates.'

Carton is the senior point guard who has signed with Ohio State. He is so quick, athletic and explosive, with great court vision.

Five-star recruits tend to have those attributes.

He scored a game-high 27 points, 17 in the second half, splashing four 3-pointers. But he was just as content to dish off to his mates much of this game, picking up eight assists (and seven rebounds).

They were hitting virtually everything, shooting 71 percent in the first half and 57 percent overall. Senior guard Trevor Feller had 15 points on five treys for the Bulldogs (11-1), who obliterated a plethora of Washington zone defenses.

'You can't really go man with D.J., because what are you going to do?' said Washington Coach Justin Decker. 'You're leaving some guy out there to fail.'

Bettendorf built a 14-point lead in the second quarter, but Washington (6-7) chipped away and got its disadvantage down to three, 41-38, early in the third. It was all Bulldogs from there, as the final score indicates.

'It really started with the (not) boxing out,' Decker said. 'They really hurt us on the offensive boards.'

Mick McCurry had 23 points for Washington, 16 in the first half.

AT U.S. CELLULAR CENTER

BETTENDORF (72): Oliver Bakeris 1-3 1-4 3, Lucas Hayes 3-6 0-1 6, Trevor Feller 5-9 0-0 15, D.J. Carton 8-11 7-8 27, Blake Tyler 2-4 3-3 8, Tyler Wellman 2-4 0-0 5, Joe Byrne 0-0 0-0 0, Tynan Numkena 3-4 0-2 6, Carter Furness 0-0 0-0 0, Keaton Staley 0-0 0-0 0, Jake Hornbuckle 0-0 0-0 0, Carter Weyman 1-1 0-0 2, Jack Hester 0-0 0-0 0, Ethan Horner 0-0 0-0 0, Matthew Cavins 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-42 11-18 72.

CEDAR RAPIDS WASHINGTON (50): Chandlir Haug 1-3 1-4 3, Mick McCurry 8-14 5-6 23, Jamar Thurmon 0-3 0-0 0, Imanuel Rowland 1-5 0-0 2, Ross Snitker 1-3 0-0 3, Joe McKinstry 2-8 0-0 6, Riley Pankey 2-5 0-0 5, Kaden Bowie 2-3 0-0 2, Brayden Wright 2-5 0-0 4, Jackson Kramer 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 19-50 6-10 50.

Halftime — Bettendorf 41, Washington 33. 3-point goals — Bettendorf 11-21 (Feller 5-9, Carton 4-6, Tyler 1-3, Wellman 1-3), Washington 6-23 (McCurry 2-6, Rowland 0-3, Snitker 1-2, McKinstry 2-7, Pankey 1-2, Wright 0-3). Rebounds — Bettendorf 28 (Carton 7), Washington 26 (McCurry 7). Total fouls — Bettendorf 13, Washington 18. Fouled out — None. Turnovers — Bettendorf 16, Washington 13.

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