On Friday, the Bulldogs went back to work as they squared off against Ridgewood for the second time this season. The previous meeting was a nail-bitter, as the Bulldogs escaped with a victory on missed free throws by Ridgewood. The Rebels were determined to seize revenge.

The Bulldogs have followed the same script for most of the season. They go back and forth for the first quarter, sometimes into  halftime, but after that, the Bulldogs impose their will upon teams and bury them late. Ridgewood, though, had other plans.

The Bulldogs found themselves traIining by two with a little over ten seconds left in the game. With the game in the balance, the Dogs turned to their reliable big man Miki Ljuboja. Ljuboja backed his defender down and hit a clutch lay up with six seconds to play. The following possesion the Rebels had the ball looking to hit the game winner. The Rebel’s three point attempt was blocked by senior guard Damonta Henry. Henry then recovered the ball and threw up a potential game-winning heave, but the shot was off the mark.

In overtime, with all the momentum on the Bulldogs’ side, the Dogs failed to capitalize. They missed pivotal free throws and played sub-par defense. The poor effort in over time led to a 71-65 loss and the departure of the Bulldogs’ perfect conference record.