It’s been a rough few weeks for Moffat County boys basketball, but the Bulldogs looked to have turned a corner.

And they plan to keep going in this new direction.

MCHS picked up their first win within the 4A Western Slope League — as well as their first victory since the opening week of their schedule — with a 66-38 blowout Saturday over Rifle.

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The Dogs started on fire, with nearly 20 points on their side of the scoreboard before the Bears responded, a pattern that repeated itself throughout the day.

Senior Cesar Quezada noted that Rifle players started getting more aggressive the deeper in the hole they got.

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“They were just mad. I mean, we beat them by almost 30,” he said.

Junior Kenyen Camilletti led scoring with 19 points, followed by senior Junior Welch with 13. With 46 rebounds by the team —including nine by senior Landyn Bollman and seven each by senior Gavin Barrett and junior Logan Reidhead — the drive to get the ball was the name of the game, as well as a general sense of teamwork.

“Super-excited about the defensive intensity we came out with,” said coach Mark Carlson. “It’s always really good to get everyone involved offensively.”

The win was a relief for the Dogs, who snapped an eight-game cold streak going back to December, their last W coming against Lotus School for Excellence during tournament play in Meeker.

Saturday capped off a particularly difficult week for the squad, who struggled with shooting during a Tuesday home event against Grand Junction that ended 61-17.

The night before they tipped off against Rifle, MCHS boys were on the road against Middle Park, with a late technical foul setting off a chain reaction that led to a 71-64 defeat.

Despite their 3-9 overall record and 1-2 in the WSL, MoCo athletes remain formidable in multiple statistical categories.

Welch leads the league in three-pointers with 34, while senior Trayson Carlson is the 4A WSL’s top athlete in assists (43) and steals (46). Additionally, Camilletti, Welch and Carlson all rank within the top 10 of the league’s highest scorers.

The Bulldogs also boast one of the best blockers in the state.

Bollman — also the league’s third-best rebounder — stuffed four shots on Saturday to bring his season total to 47, currently standing at second in the stat across all Colorado divisions. His rate of 4.3 blocks per game is the best average of any player in the Centennial State at this point in the season.

As the team prepares to face Delta this weekend, the squad is feeling re-energized mentally and physically.

Quezada noted the win over Rifle was exactly what was needed.

“The whole league better watch out if we keep playing like we did today,” he said.