Norwegians and people of Norwegian descent never swear. The closest thing to a cuss word in Norwegian is the word "Uff da." In English it can mean several things like "bafflement, surprise, dismay." It is kind of a universal word for just about any occasion. So, an appropriate response for a Norwegian to the Charger basketball games at Van Meter last night would be "Uff da!" Both ACGC teams were dominated by the Bulldogs, as the girls lost 58-30 and the boys suffered through a 70-20 nightmare.

Trailing by a single point at 7-6 halfway through the initial quarter, the Charger girls saw the Bulldogs increase their lead to 17-11 after the first quarter and 34-20 at the halftime intermission. A disastrous third quarter for the Charger girls in which they scored only three points put the game out of reach. The game had become an "Uff da!" affair.

By the end of quarter number three the Bulldogs had doubled the score on the Chargers at 46-23. ACGC's lone score in the third quarter was a three pointer by Genevieve Hoover. The Chargers managed only two field goals in the fourth quarter--one each by Savana Fuller and Kylie Young-- and made 3 of 24 field goal tries in the second half.

Official statistics were unavailable at at the time that this article was posted, but unofficial stats show that two Chargers scored in double figures with Jadeyn Carrick scoring 12 points and Savana Fuller 10. No one else scored more than three points. For the game ACGC made 9 of 51 shots from the floor for 18% and hit on 7 of 11 free throws for 63%. Van Meter, on the other hand, managed to shoot 50% from the field on 22 makes out of 44 tries, including nine three point baskets on the night.

The Charger boys were no match for the second ranked and undefeated Bulldogs as Van Meter opened the game on 12 of 17 shooting in the first quarter to take a 28-6 lead after the first frame. With 6'9"twin towers dominating the middle and quick and accurate shooting guards dominating the outside, "Uff da!" would be an appropriate response to the Van Meter performance. Treys by Quynton Younker and Bryce Littler were the only Charger scores in the first quarter. Things continued downhill for ACGC in the second quarter, as the Bulldogs outscored the Chargers 12 to 2 to take a 40-8 lead into halftime. A Collin Stowe basket was the lone ACGC score.

ACGC was never able to find any offensive consistency while the Bulldogs continued their hot shooting in the second half. For the game the Bulldogs unofficially shot 28 of 47 from the field for 60% accuracy, while the Chargers were 8 out of 38 for 21%. Seven Chargers scored in single digits, with Will Byers leading the scoring with 4 points. Other stats were unavailable at post time.

The losses dropped the girls' record to 2-18, while the boys' mark fell to 3-17. One regular season game remains on the schedule, as the Chargers will host Woodward-Granger next Tuesday, February 6 on senior night. Girls' tipoff will be at 6 PM.

Girls' score by quarter Boys score by quarter

ACGC 11 9 3 7--30 ACGC 6 2 5 7--20

VM 17 17 12 12--58 VM 28 12 17 13--70