NEDERLAND — Jase Miguez started the three-point barrage for Nederland, and the Bulldogs didn’t cool down from there.
Miguez sank three straight from the arc during a string of four in a row, and Nederland kept a distance from Baytown Lee for much of the night Friday in taking a 68-51 victory in the Dog Dome.
Miguez’s shooting — he started off and finished with five treys — was emblematic of the Bulldogs’ performance.
“We get momentum once we share the ball and get open shots, and everything gets clicking,” said the senior swingman, who scored 17 points, as did Darrell Jones, to lead the Bulldogs (18-8, 3-2 District 22-5A).
“When this group shoots it well, we’re pretty effective because on the defensive end, we’re pretty good, and that’s our strength,” Nederland coach Brian English said. “Offensively, we’re shooting the ball better than we did last year. I thought we really shot it poorly [last year], and the kids worked really hard. They all got better.”
Nederland shot 25 of 54 as a team for 46.3 percent, making 7 of 16 (43.7 percent) from three-point range. Kevin Howard and Garrett Ary each knocked down 10 in the win.
Their overall play put to rest any fears of a trap game after coming off a stretch of three difficult games, back-to-back narrow losses to Ozen and Central followed by a rivalry win at Port Neches-Groves.
“I worried about the trap game,” English said. “Three tough games and them [Lee] coming over here. They actually beat us the first time last year, so we were ready tonight.”
After Nederland took a 21-10 first-quarter lead, Lee (9-9, 3-2) pulled within nine points three times in the second, but Ary’s layup and three-point play sparked a 9-4 rally that gave the Bulldogs a 42-25 halftime cushion.
“I thought we shared the ball really well tonight,” English said. “Our sets are more effective than they were at the beginning of the season, and we’re getting better.”
Jacob Gaston scored 13 points and Josh Hockless added 12 for the Ganders, who had won three straight after opening district with a home loss to Port Neches-Groves.
Nederland now takes a two-game winning streak into Goose Creek Memorial on Tuesday, with Lumberton visiting the Dog Dome next Friday to close the first round of district play.
“We’ve got momentum going forward,” Miguez said. “We had those tough two losses to two of the top teams in the state, Ozen and Central. We’re getting back on track.”