The Fort Dodge boys basketball team found an extra gear in their game against Des Moines Lincoln here on Tuesday.

Unfortunately for the Dodgers, their spirited rally came from trying to dig out of a 19-point second-half hole.

Fort Dodge simply ran out of possessions and time in a 62-57 loss to the Railsplitters. Playing its third home contest in as many contests to open the year, the Dodgers (0-3) trimmed a seemingly-insurmountable deficit down to a single basket before Lincoln (2-0) escaped with a second road victory over an Iowa Alliance Conference Northern Division opponent in as many tries on the young season.

Head coach Willie Williams applauded his squad’s efforts in nearly pulling off an unthinkable comeback. At the same time, Williams wanted Fort Dodge to take ownership of scoring just 16 first-half points and the 44-25 problem it had created in the first place.

“Of course I loved to see our fight and refusal to give up,” Williams said. “But it shouldn’t take those (circumstances) to make us play with that sense of urgency. You can’t fall behind by that many points in the second half and expect to come out on top just because you finally decide to increase your intensity and focus.

“Everyone did their job in that fourth quarter. We got after it. Now, let’s do it for four full quarters and see what happens.”

The Dodgers slowly began to chip away and show signs of life to close the third period, thanks to a three-pointer from freshman Reggie Pederson, a pair of Carter Woodruff free throws and a runner by Tytrell Mosley. That mometum continued to build in the final frame, when Fort Dodge had nine more points — 25 — than it did the entire opening half.

Woodruff was the catalyst. The three-year senior starter had nine of his 16 points in the fourth quarter as the team caught fire. Junior Hayden Zuspann knocked down a pair of three-pointers — the latter pulling the Dodgers within 59-57 with a minute left in regulation — and junior Tayven Altman had all six of his points in that last period.

Desmon Campbell answered every time Lincoln needed a response, though. The senior shooting guard, who had previous stints at Des Moines East, Des Moines Roosevelt and Johnston before landing with the Rails this season, scored 11 of his game-high 24 points in the final eight minutes.

“I have to give No. 4 (Campbell) credit,” Williams said. “He made some huge shots to slow us down just enough. We needed more stops, but we ended up trading baskets with him instead. We just couldn’t quite get over the hump, and he was a big reason why.”

The foul trouble of Lincoln center Charles Fry also helped. Fry had 15 of his 17 points through the first three periods, but picked up his fourth foul and had to sit out a long stretch in the last period when the Dodgers were able to close the gap.

The 6-foot-4 Fry checked back in and scored on a putback after Zuspann’s triple had pulled FDSH within two points late, giving the Rails just enough breathing room.

Zuspann, a junior, added 14 points off the bench for the Dodgers, drilling four triples. Senior Cade Westerhoff, who had put up 39 points in Fort Dodge’s first two contests, was held to six points on 2 of 10 shooting thanks in large part to a concerted Lincoln defensive effort on him specifically.

Junior power forward Kauner Jensen added six points and nine rebounds. Woodruff dished out eight assists.

“We got really good minutes from a lot of guys in that second half,” Williams said. “Now we need to build from it and take another step in the right direction to close out the week (on Thursday and Saturday).”

The Rails, who shot an impressive 53 percent from the field but made only 6 of 15 free throws last night, had opened their season with a 59-51 victory last week over Marshalltown in the Roundhouse.

The Dodgers now head to Wells Fargo Arena on Thursday, where they will face Waterloo East as part of the Iowa Wolves High School Hoops Series. Fort Dodge last played on that court as a Class 4A state qualifier in 2006.

The boys tip is set for 7:30 p.m.

DM LINCOLN 62, FORT DODGE 57

Des Moines Lincoln — Desmon Campbell 10-15 4-10 24, Charles Fry 8-13 1-2 17, Lionel Parks 4-7 1-1 9, Sullivan Suarez-Quilty 1-3 0-0 2, Mike Mitchell 1-3 0-0 2, Juju Brown 2-5 0-0 6, Keaton Wikoff-Harris 1-3 0-0 2, Bryce Page 0-1 0-0 0, Manas Gai 0-1 0-2 0. Totals: 27-51 6-15 62.

Fort Dodge — Carter Woodruff 4-10 7-8 16, Kauner Jensen 3-5 0-0 6, Cade Westerhoff 2-10 2-2 6, Tayven Altman 2-6 1-2 6, Tytrell Mosley 3-13 0-0 6, Hayden Zuspann 5-9 0-0 14, Reggie Pederson 1-1 0-0 3, Tisyn Hook 0-1 0-0 0, Carter Short 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 20-55 10-12 57.

Quarter scores: Lincoln led 10-7, 27-16, 46-32. Three-point goals: Lincoln 2-10 (Brown 2-3, Suarez-Quilty 0-2, Campbell 0-2, Page 0-1, Wikoff-Harris 0-1, Mitchell 0-1); Fort Dodge 7-21 (Zimmermann 4-8, Woodruff 1-4, Pederson 1-1, Altman 1-2, Westerhoff 0-2, Mosley 0-4). Turnovers: Lincoln 11, Fort Dodge 8. Total fouls: Lincoln 14, Fort Dodge 14.