Derek Dowty scored 1,341 points during his 4-year career at Falls High School, and in that same span the Broncos won 63 games and made their only trip to the state tournament in school history.
So how did it feel to get his first win as a head coach wearing the purple and gold?
“Relieved,” Dowty said after his team’s 67-60 win against Eveleth-Gilbert in the season opener at Falls High School. “I was definitely nervous before that one.”
The Broncos overcame a sloppy performance offensively and poured it on down the stretch, outscoring the Golden Bears 21-7 over the final 8:59.
Ethan Johns came off the bench and was everywhere for the Broncos, finishing with a team-high 18 points, six rebounds and four steals before fouling out with the game in hand with just over a minute to play.
Nick Bujold added 12 points and four assists, Shawn Filipiak tallied 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds and Matt Paulbeck and Trevar Carlson posted nine points apiece.
“It’s big. We want to come out and make a statement,” Johns said. “A lot of people said we aren’t going to have a good season. We want to prove them wrong.”
Andy Tikkanen scored 18 points, including 12 in the first half, while grabbing seven rebounds for the Golden Bears (0-1). John Overly had 13 points and Shawn Johnson and Nate Wagner tallied 12 points apiece. However, Overly and Johnson fouled out and battled foul trouble the entire contest.
“Really, the key was defense,” Dowty said. “We got some steals and some easy baskets and that started the whole thing.”
The Broncos trailed 35-31 at the break and 53-46 with just under nine minutes to play when Golden Bears head coach Mike Aro called a timeout.
Johns, Marcus Zawchenuk and Carlson all made baskets out of the timeout to cut the deficit to 53-52 before Johns stole the ball and recorded a 3-point play in transition to put the Broncos up for good at 55-53. The junior center stayed hot and made the next basket to make it 57-53 with under six minutes to play.
“He played awesome. He played out of his mind,” Dowty said about Johns.
The Broncos built their lead to 10 at 65-55 before free throws and a late 3-pointer cut the score down to the final.
“We really don’t have a standout on this team, so it’s going to be a different guy each night,” Dowty said.
The Broncos will look for win No. 2 on Friday at home against Cook.
Game notes
• Dowty’s opening-day starters were senior captain Adam Potter and juniors Nick Bujold, Trevar Carlson, Shawn Filipiak and Matt Paulbeck.
• Nate Oustad missed the game with an undisclosed injury, but he was cleared to practice Monday. Tim Myles is out two games for a Minnesota State High School League violation.
• The Golden Bears outshot the Broncos at the free-throw line 15 of 23 to 8 of 14. Eveleth-Gilbert finished 22 of 44 from the field (50 percent), while the Broncos finished 29 of 52 (55 percent).
