The Bowie boy’s basketball had a night of firsts with the Jackrabbits win against Iowa Park on Tuesday night.
Bowie’s one-sided 49-24 win against the Hawks was the team’s first win of the season in the team’s first home game. Coach Andy Atkins also picked up his career first win as a head coach at the varsity level.
The Jackrabbits had a quick turnaround from their first game played only three days earlier at Grandview. Bowie finished that game strong playing a high energy full-court press despite ultimately losing.
Taking a page from what worked in that game, the Jackrabbits came out playing with a ferocious press defense with some trapping elements. Bowie was creating good looks, forcing turnovers and making hustle plays but points came slowly.
Still, the defense proved stifling for Iowa Park, allowing only one basket in the first quarter as the Jackrabbits led 10-2 heading into the second.
Things continued in the same way until halftime. Bowie’s defense continued to barely give an inch which led to the Hawks scoring only four points, but the Jackrabbits did not score much more themselves. Still, Bowie’s lead grew to 18-6 heading into halftime.
Offense picked up for both teams in the third quarter as both teams almost doubled their scores. Unfortunately for Iowa Park, that meant the Jackrabbits double-digit halftime lead continued to balloon.
Bowie’s energy from the bench and fans seemed to plateau during this time as the result of the game seemed inevitable. With still a quarter to play and the lead up to 36-11, there was worry the fourth quarter would be a down period for the Jackrabbits.
The let down was not much. Iowa Park scored eight of their 13 points, more than doubling their total from the first three quarters, in a two-and-a-half minute period in the middle of the quarter. Bowie still scored in double-digits in the quarter and finished the game strong on a 7-2 run, winning 49-24.
Bowie’s next home game is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Nov. 23 against Hirschi.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.