By BAKER ELLIS / Sports Editor

CALERA – Gregory Dickinson knows his team has only gotten better since the first game of the season. He’s seen it. The Montevallo head coach only had his whole roster for one day before the Bulldogs’ first game this year, due to the success the football team had this fall and the large number of basketball players who also play football at Montevallo.

“We’ve gotten a lot better each game,” Dickinson said on Dec. 1. “We had a pretty successful football year and only had one practice before the first game. We’re improving each game.”

The Bulldogs took another step in the right direction on Nov. 30 with a one-point, 80-79 win over cross-county foe Calera to stay perfect on the season and move to 6-0. Tae’ Smith led all scorers with 33 points and also hauled in 12 rebounds to secure a double-double while Undreaz Lilly also poured in 20 points and snatched six boards. Smith and Lilly combined to account for 66 percent of the Bulldogs offense on the night.

A much-improved Calera team from a season ago led at the half 37-35 before Montevallo pulled ahead for good in the third quarter. The Bulldogs took a 58-53 lead into the final period, and despite a few late threes from Calera, held on for the tight win.

While the Bulldogs continue to improve, defensive efficiency and rebounding are two issues Dickinson said his team still has to continue to work on. The rebounding issue in particular reared its head in the Calera game, as the Eagles’ size was tough for the undersized Bulldogs to handle.

OJ Williams scored 17 to pace the Eagles while Tyler Millin scored 12 for Calera and the Eagles take on Shelby County at Shelby County tonight.