After having just four practices before the start of the season, the Pike County Bulldogs have been hard at work on the hardwood this week.

The Bulldogs have not played since Nov. 30 and will not play until Dec. 11, when they take on Barbour County.

For PCHS, the break is a welcome opportunity to help get the players back into basketball shape.

“Just having the time to do nothing but work on basketball and do some running up and down the court has helped to get them back into that up-and-down routine that they’re not quite used to right now,” said head coach William Moguel.

Junior Kendrick Jackson, a member of Pike County’s 2009 football team, said it has been a challenge getting into basketball condition.

“It’s hard because you’re still thinking about being out on a field,” Jackson said. “Basketball shape is way different than football shape, so you have to get in shape all over again.”

The time off from game activity has also given the Bulldogs a chance to sharpen their skills and work on their offensive sets.

“The biggest things are just hustling, getting back on defense and getting our offense down so they can go through the rotations,” Moguel said. “We don’t need to be in such a hurry. We’ve had a problem with not being patient running the offense, so we’ve been working on being more patient.”

Jackson also said the break has helped the team to grow.

“We’ve just got to keep picking it up and work on our team work,” Jackson said. “The break has helped us a lot to get the feel back for the game.”

The Bulldogs’ break will end Friday when they take on defending 2A state champion Barbour County.

Martellius Foster, one of Pike County’s seniors said the team knows what to expect from the Jaguars.

“I think we’ll do well if we keep our heads in the game,” Foster said. “They like to block shots and dunk and try to get the crowd into it. If we can stop that, I think we can have some success. Moguel said the key to the game for the Bulldogs will be playing their style of basketball.

“They’re going to be a good basketball team and they’ll be well-coached, so we just have to go out there and do some of the things that we do well and let it fall like it may,” Moguel said.