There were plenty of imperfect moments that could have derailed the Fort Dodge girls basketball team in their home debut on Tuesday.

Instead, the Dodgers grinded through the mistakes and missteps on their way to a 47-41 victory over previously-unbeaten Boone.

Three players reached double figures for Fort Dodge (1-1 overall), which dropped its season opener at defending Class 4A state runner-up Waverly Shell Rock 10 days ago. A back-and-forth contest last night finally tilted in the Dodgers’ direction for good early in the fourth quarter, and head coach Scott Messerly’s squad did just enough down the stretch to prevail and hand the Toreadors (3-1) their first loss after three lopsided wins.

“We found a way,” Messerly said. “I think that’s the most important thing to take away from a game where we seemed hesitant at times and were going up against an opponent who came in with a lot of confidence for good reason.

“Anything that can help us get into more of a comfort zone and build up (the mental side) this early in the season is important. We stepped up defensively and found a little more of a rhythm on offense after a slow start. I just want to see the kids be more aggressive and assertive with what they’re doing; a lot of our (errors) came from being indecisive.”

Junior LJ Maehl had eight of her 12 points after halftime, swishing a three-pointer to break a tie for good with 5:51 left in regulation. Senior Meah McCaleb added 10 points and put on a defensive clinic, with seven steals and a number of stops or shot alterations to rattle a Boone offense that had averaged 54 points in wins over Webster City, Des Moines East and Nevada.

“Meah did an outstanding job jumping their passing lanes and anticipating (defensively),” Messerly said. “She reads the ball so well and is such a smart player. We really missed her down the stretch (of last year, when McCaleb was injured for the final nine contests, which FDSH dropped six).”

Sophomore Maddie Hoshaw contributed 11 points, making six of her eight free throws. And even though senior Brooklyn Pommer struggled from the floor, she knocked down a pair of foul shots with 19 seconds remaining to help solidify the victory. McCaleb then converted a layup 13 seconds later to seal it.

The Dodgers only shot 32 percent from the field and 25 percent from behind the three-point arc, but they made a respectable 13 of 19 at the charity stripe. Boone, meanwhile, misfired on nine of its 13 free throws and all but one of 14 triple tries.

Senior Sydney Adams, who was averaging a shade under 20 points per contest before Tuesday, did have a game-high 19 for the Toreadors. Adams was just 1 of 4 on her foul shots, though, and didn’t make a single trey in seven attempts from deep. She had been at 37 percent coming in.

Fort Dodge committed 15 of its 24 turnovers in falling behind 22-18 by halftime. Boone didn’t lead until there was 2:20 left in the first half, but the Toreadors closed the second quarter on a 11-4 run.

Dodger sophomore Ellie Doster made all three of her field goals for seven points.

“It was a positive step overall,” Messerly said. “We still have a lot to work on, of course, but that’s early-December basketball for you. It will be good to address this stuff in practice after a win.”

Fort Dodge is back in action at home again on Friday versus Spencer.

FORT DODGE 47, BOONE 41

Fort Dodge — LJ Maehl 4-11 3-4 12, Maddie Hoshaw 2-9 6-8 11, Meah McCaleb 5-11 0-1 10, Ellie Doster 3-3 0-0 7, Brooklyn Pommer 0-10 3-4 3, Bella Lee 1-2 0-0 3, Addie Lentsch 0-1 1-2 1, Janelle Derrig 0-0 0-0 0, Linnie Pratt 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 15-47 13-19 47.

Boone — Sydney Adams 9-20 1-4 19, Shannon Jenkins 2-4 2-4 7, Macy Chesnut 2-5 0-0 4, Ava Johnson 2-6 0-0 4, Addie Tungesvik 1-6 0-1 2, Avery Howie 1-1 1-4 3, Brooke Weisbrod 1-3 0-0 2, Maleah Shivers 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 18-46 4-13 41.

Quarter scores: Fort Dodge led 4-3; Boone led 22-18; Fort Dodge led 32-30. Three-point goals: Fort Dodge 4-16 (Doster 1-1, Hoshaw 1-2, Lee 1-2, Maehl 1-5, Pommer 0-4, McCaleb 0-1, Lentsch 0-1); Boone 1-14 (Jenkins 1-2, Adams 0-7, Tungesvik 0-3, Chesnut 0-2). Turnovers: Fort Dodge 24, Boone 22. Total fouls: Fort Dodge 17, Boone 17.