The Bulldogs had one scrimmage about a month ago. COVID-19 caused them to take a two-week break after that, and the first time they had their full roster together was Monday. So, four full practices were about all they got to prepare for one of their biggest games of the year, and it was evident in the first two quarters.

Poland’s progress over the next two quarters was evident as well.

A strong third quarter by Christian Colosimo and some late defenisive pressure allowed the Bulldogs to pull away from Canfield, 61-56, on Friday.

Poland (1-0) trailed after every quarter but the last, as the Bulldogs had a little energy going into the fourth. Colosimo scored nine of his 13 points in the third to ignite the spark. He staked the Bulldogs to a lead early in the second half — their first of the game — and was part of a big change in the team’s defensive mindset.

Staff photo / Joe Simon Canfield’s Nick Pantelakis (10) drives the baseline while being defended by Poland’s Ross Dedo on Friday in Poland.

“Ball pressure was important,” Poland coach Ken Grisdale said. “I don’t think we were always putting good pressure on the ball. If you can stand there, and I’m backed off, you can pass wherever you want. We really wanted better ball pressure (in the second half), and we think that helped. Offensively, we were able to spread their defense and take advantage of some 1-on-1 (situations).”

The Bulldogs needed the extra effort because Canfield was the one giving it in the first half.

The Cardinals (0-2) were more active on the boards and played stingy defense in the first two quarters. Poland shot 10-of-29 from the field and 2-of-10 from 3-point land before halftime, and the Bulldogs committed nine turnovers. Still, Canfield couldn’t extend its lead and led just 30-26 at the half.

Colosimo and Poland erased that deficit within the first minute of the second half and took a four-point lead. The bulky, 6-foot Colosimo, a running back/linebacker on the football team, drove to hoop for a couple field goals and also drained a 3-pointer. His energy seemed to extend to his teammates, and it woke up a stagnant Poland offense.

“We needed a little spark to get us going,” Colosimo said. “It helped us out a lot. It caused a lot more guys to get open and score more buckets for the team. It brought us more energy, so overall, scoring those points brought together a lot of impact and energy.”

Staff photo / Joe Simon Poland’s Christian Colosimo, left, dribbles while being defended by Canfield’s Chase Lowry (12) during their game Friday. Colosimo scored 13 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 61-56 victory.

The momentum seemed to carry over into the fourth quarter.

Canfield led, 47-45, but the Cardinals’ offense went silent, not scoring a point until the 2:49 mark of the fourth, with Poland now up 50-48. Canfield’s Trey Dye scored one of his game-high 19 points, but Brody Todd of Poland answered with a key 3-pointer from the corner that put the Bulldogs up for good. Canfield pulled within three at 53-50 with 1:27 left in the game, but Poland made 9-of-12 free throws in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

“We went through a pretty big scoring drought,” Canfield coach Todd Muckleroy said. “We couldn’t figure out how to score, and that hurts us. … Now we’ve got to figure that out. It’s not the turnovers (like it was in the first game), but now it’s the offensive deficiency that we showed there in the second half.

“That just comes down to simple execution, once again, and a little bit of inexperience on our part. We’ll figure that out.”

Poland is in the same scenario.

Grisdale said he likes the team’s depth, and he prefers to play 10 or 11 people, but the lack of playing time makes it difficult to figure out the players’ roles and which groups of kids works together best. He and the Bulldogs seemed to find some of those answers in the second half, when they shot 10-of-16 from the field and 3-of-6 on 3-pointers.

“We don’t know our rotations yet,” Grisdale said. “If you’re going to play 11 guys, you’re going to have to get your rotations down. We don’t know them right now. It’s just going to take a little bit of time, and I just hope we keep getting opportunities to do it. … They felt a lot better in the second half. We shortened the rotation in the second half, which made it easier for us.”

Ten players scored for Poland, with Ross Dedo also reaching double figures (10 points). Chase Lowry added 12 for Canfield, and Nick Pantelakis put in 11 more.

The Bulldogs host Boardman at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Canfield plays South Range.