Southwest Bulldog Nick Hassig defends against an opponent during a game at Southwest Junior High.

In just the first game of the season, the Southwest Bulldogs ninth-grade boys’ basketball team produced an offensive explosion that far exceeded their coach’s expectations.

Before the season opening 61-41 win against the Bishop Ward Cyclones, Coach David Schneider had characterized his team as one that struggled on the offensive side of the ball.

“We want to concentrate on playing hard on D,” Schneider said. “Then hope the offense just shows up.”

Last Thursday, the offense showed up and then some.

The Bulldogs came up with 18 first quarter points on multiple drives to the basket that resulted in easy layups and a fun game for the players.

“It was pretty cool just to get back out on the court and be out there with the guys playing ball again,” Nick Hassig, Southwest point’s guard, said.

Drake DeBiasse, the Bulldogs’ biggest shooting threat, led the charge with 20 points, but racing past the Cyclone defense was a team effort.

Hassig agreed with his coach that defense was stronger than the offense, he named another strength: “Team chemistry, definitely.”

A 20-point third quarter showcased a number of Bulldogs, none more than DeBiasse.

A steal led to a fast break that ended with DeBiasse passing behind his back for an assist to the open man under the basket, who easily finished the play.

“We got some good looks, some open looks,” Schneider said.

The looks didn’t come as often or as easily in Saturday’s game against St. Thomas Aquinas, though. Schneider, who coached these players when they were eighth-graders, said they looked a little more like how he expected them to against the Saints.

The Bulldogs came up with only 24 points on an off day for DeBiasse, but Schneider gave credit to the defense, which held Aquinas to just 38 points.

They did as Schneider wanted and focused on getting rebounds and steals, led by Hassig.

Schneider called Hassig both Southwest’s best defender and the team leader.

“He plays hard constantly,” Schneider said. “He gives you everything he’s got.”

Hassig is the centerpiece of a defense that doesn’t need to rely on pressing, because the Bulldogs rarely let their opponents bring the ball up the court without some kind of a fight.

That makes for some defensive consistency, which was the one thing Schneider said was really missing from the offense.

“We’ve seen glimpses of good offense, but we need to become consistent,” Schneider said.

These players know just how hard they need to play to keep winning, because Schneider said they were successful last year.

“We had a lot of one- or two-point victories, though,” he said. “If those don’t fall our way this season, we may not do as well.”

That means the attitude of the team two games into the season is one of improvement.

“We just need to get better,” Hassig said, listing winning the Warhawk Invitational as a major goal for the season.

The Bulldogs have some time to practice and prepare for that February tournament, but the challenges won’t take a break.

Southwest played at Blue Valley North last night, and the Bulldogs’ next game is at 5:30 tomorrow, at home against Shawnee Heights.