Coming off its first loss of the season, Marquette Academy bounced back in dominant fashion in a 72-27 thrashing of Lowpoint-Washburn on Friday night in Ottawa.

“We didn’t show up Tuesday, so we needed a response tonight,” Marquette coach Todd Hopkins said. “It took us a few minutes to settle in, but after that I really liked our effort and energy, especially defensively.”

Marquette junior guard Griffin Dobberstein echoed his coach, saying it was important to get the sour taste of their mouth from a 62-33 loss at Indian Creek earlier this week.

“Coming off that loss was tough, but we all knew what we had to do tonight and wanted to end the week on a good note,” Dobberstein said.

Dobberstein finished with 17 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, leading a balanced scoring attack that saw seven Crusaders drop at least seven points.

“We mixed things up and played inside and out,” Hopkins said. “When we move the ball and get contributions from multiple guys, we’re tough to guard.”

Dobberstein said the plan coming into the game was to play a physical, intense brand of basketball and credited his team’s energy and ball movement despite a slow start in the first quarter.

“We wanted to play bully ball tonight,” Dobberstein said. “Run the floor, get easy baskets and not force things. I thought our ball movement was stagnant early, but once we picked up the intensity - everything got better.”

Marquette’s “bully ball” style was fueled by its young front court. Sophomore bigs Luke McCullough and Blayden Cassel played well together, protecting the rim well defensively and controlling the boards all night.

McCullough had nine points, seven rebounds, one assist and one steal, while Cassel added eight points, five rebounds and two assists.

“They attacked us inside really well,” Lowpoint-Washburn head coach Craig Culp said. “We got beat on the boards and turned the ball over too many times, and that’s something everybody in the gym could see tonight.”

Culp said Marquette’s size created problems for the Wildcat’s zone defense and smaller lineup.

“We’re not quite as tall as they are, and that’s hard to simulate in practice at a small school,” he said. “They moved the ball really well, got it inside and kicked it out. That’s exactly what you’re supposed to do against a zone, and they did a great job of it.”

Despite the result, Culp said the game provided a learning opportunity early in the season.

“For us, it’s about moving on and learning from it,” he said. “This was the first game we’ve been out-rebounded all year, so we’ll go back to boxing out and putting a body on someone. It’s early, and we’ve got a long way to go.”

Looking ahead for Marquette, Hopkins said he wants his team prepared for what should be a good matchup next Tuesday against Yorkville Christian.

“We know what we’re up against Tuesday, and that’s why they’re on the schedule - to make us better,” he said.