There’s a simple reason Tri-Valley’s boys basketball team has remained perfect this season: It does everything well.

The Bulldogs shoot with accuracy, apply relentless pressure, rebound on both ends and share the ball.

They showed all of that Thursday night in a 74-40 dismantling of Marian, their sixth straight win to open the season and a 5-0 start in Schuylkill League Division 2 play. At this point, it’s difficult to identify a challenger capable of slowing them down — even among Division 1 opponents.

Tri-Valley thrives in transition but is just as effective in the half court, especially when forcing turnovers. The Bulldogs also control the glass and display balance on offense. Four players scored in double figures, with a fifth just missing.

Senior Braedon Doyle led the way with 26 points and six rebounds. Trey Porter added 17 points, Kingsley Johnson and Gavin Klock each scored 11, and Cooper Carl chipped in seven.

Tri-Valley coach Bill Mauser acknowledged his team’s potential, but stressed there is room to improve.

“We’re very unselfish, we’re fast paced, we like to push the ball in transition,” Mauser said. “But we missed some shots — easy ones.”

The Bulldogs set the tone early, forcing seven first-quarter turnovers and racing to a 21-4 lead. Carl, Johnson and Porter combined to open the game with a 7-2 run before Tri-Valley scored 14 unanswered points. Porter hit a 3-pointer and three two-point baskets during the surge, while Carl scored six points and Johnson added five.

“We take pride in our defense, defense leads to offense,” Mauser said. “We like to press, but we didn’t do as much as we did in our first few games.”

Marian showed brief signs of life in the second quarter behind six points from Jake Tom, a 3-pointer by Justin De La Cruz, and three points from freshman Mitchell Knock. But Tri-Valley quickly regained control.

Leading 30-18 with 3:20 left in the half, the Bulldogs closed on an 11-0 run to take a 41-18 lead at the break. Doyle and Klock fueled the decisive spurt.

“He’s our senior leader, and one of the captains and he carries the team on his shoulders,” Mauser said of Doyle.

Tri-Valley continued its dominance in the third quarter, shooting 6-for-14 from the floor despite several missed layups. The Bulldogs extended the lead to 47-20 before Marian answered with a 3-pointer from Greg Tirpak, two baskets from De La Cruz and a putback by Tom.

Tri-Valley responded with a 9-0 run to push the margin to 56-30, effectively ending the game.

The Bulldogs will now turn their focus to carrying the momentum into the new year.

BY THE NUMBERS ... The Bulldogs finished 29-for-58 from the field, missing several close-range attempts. Marian shot 17-for-47. Tri-Valley went 11-for-19 from the free-throw line, while Marian was 3-for-6. The Bulldogs held a slim 39-38 rebounding edge.

ANSWERING ... Tom led Marian with 11 points, De La Cruz scored 10, and Tirpak grabbed nine rebounds.

TRI-VALLEY

Doyle 11-2-3-26, Porter 7-2-4-17, Johnson 4-3-4-11, G. Klock 4-1-2-11, Carl 2-3-6-7, T. Troutman 1-0-0-2, Wehry 0-0-0-0, D. Klock 0-0-0-0, Clemmer 0-0-0-0, Lower 0-0-0-0, Maurer 0-0-0-0, C. 0-0-0-0, Olmos 0-0-0-0, Kaslavage. TOTALS: 29-11-19-74.

MARIAN

Ju. De La Cruz 5-0-0-11, Tom 5-0-0-10, Ja. De La Cruz 2-2-4-7, Tirpak 2-0-0-5, Knock 2-1-2-4, Nunez 1-0-0-2, Paulino 0-0-0-0, Da. Rodino 0-0-0-0, Petschauer 0-0-0-0, Do. Rodino 0-0-0-0, Connor 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 17-3-6-40.

Tri-Valley 21 20 15 18 - 74

Marian 4 14 12 10 - 40

Three-pointers: Tri-Valley - Doyle 2, Klock 2, Porter 1; Marian - Tirpak 1, Ju. De La Cruz 1, Ja. De La Cruz 1.

Records: Tri-Valley (6-0; 5-0); Marian (3-4; 1-4).