-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Cade Westerhoff of Fort Dodge puts up a shot against Waterloo east on Thursday inside Wells Fargo Arena

DES MOINES — It’s early-season gut check time for the Fort Dodge boys basketball squad.

The Dodgers were overwhelmed by Iowa Alliance Conference rival Waterloo East here on Thursday, stumbling out of the gates and never recovering in a 71-39 setback.

Nothing went right for head coach Willie Williams’s ballclub, as FDSH dropped its fourth game in as many tries so far this month. The struggles were magnified given the circumstances, as the Dodgers were playing at Wells Fargo Arena for the first time since the 2006 state tournament.

“It’s obviously disappointing,” Williams said. “You could see it pretty early on. We weren’t locked in. Things started to get bad in the first quarter and it only snowballed from there.

“They punched us in the mouth and we didn’t respond. We let it get out of hand. You’ve got to bring the fight to your opponent. We let them take control and (dictate) the momentum right away.”

Da’Shaundis Moore led all scorers with 23 points for the Trojans, who had dropped consecutive games to Cedar Falls, Des Moines Roosevelt and Waterloo West to open their season. Moore and Ke’Andre Owens (15 points) made 15 of their 24 shots combined from the floor.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, couldn’t buy a bucket. Fort Dodge didn’t convert a single field-goal attempt in the entire first quarter, and had only 11 total makes as a team the entire contest.

“It’s a pretty simple game: you have to put the ball in the basket,” Williams said. “But that comes from knowing what we’re running and executing. You can’t just force things up and hope it goes in. You can’t be indecisive and timid. We were that, but we were also not getting into our offense or at the right places on the court. And we didn’t box out.

“You don’t do the little things, you don’t win. Period.”

Freshman Reggie Pederson was a bright spot for the Dodgers, leading the way with 11 points off the bench. Pederson had three field goals and converted four of his five free throws.

“Reggie gave us great minutes,” Williams said. “That’s what we need. Energy. Intensity. He’s going to make mistakes…he’s a freshman. That’s OK. I’m hoping other guys see that and follow his lead.”

Fort Dodge and East were playing as part of the Iowa Wolves High School Hoops Series, which invites schools from across Iowa to play on the home court of the state tournament.

The Dodgers return to action on Saturday at Humboldt. Varsity boys tip is slated for 4:15 p.m.

WATERLOO EAST 71, FORT DODGE 39

Waterloo East – Da’Shaundis Moore 9-14 4-4 23, Ke’Andre Owens 6-9 3-7 15, Da Sann Means 3-4 2-2 8, Quenden Hart 2-2 0-0 5, Jeremy Waters-Wright 1-4 0-0 3, Jadyn Perkins 3-4 0-0 7, Gianni Gary 1-3 2-4 4, Isaiah Thomas 1-2 2-6 4, Dejon Bynum 1-5 0-0 2, Kylan Sailor 0-1 0-0 0, Kenya Joseph 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 27-48 13-23 71.

Fort Dodge – Cade Westerhoff 4-6 2-4 10, Tayven Altman 1-3 3-6 5, Tytrell Mosley 0-6 5-6 5, Carter Woodruff 0-4 2-4 2, Kauner Jensen 1-3 0-0 2, Reggie Pederson 3-6 4-5 11, Hayden Zuspann 1-6 0-0 4, Carter Morris 1-1 0-0 2, Gavin Davis 0-6 0-0 0, Brody Maehl 0-0 0-0 0, Tisyn Hook 0-0 0-0 0, Kyree Rochon 0-0 0-0 0, Karter Hemrick 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 11-41 16-25 39.

Quarter scores: East led 15-6, 33-12, 55-28. Three-point goals: East 4-13 (Hart 1-1, Perkins 1-1, Wright 1-3, Moore 1-4, Bynum 0-2, Owens 0-1, Joseph 0-1); Fort Dodge 1-14 (Pederson 1-1, Zuspann 0-4, Davis 0-3, Woodruff 0-2, Mosley 0-2, Westerhoff 0-1, Altman 0-1). Turnovers: East 17, Fort Dodge 21. Total fouls: East 16, Fort Dodge 21. Fouled out: Woodruff.