Dollar Bay’s Jacob Iacono rises for a layup against Wakefield-Marenisco Monday at Wakefield. (Jason Juno/Daily Globe (Ironwood))

WAKEFIELD — The Dollar Bay Blue Bolts finally got tested. No really, they did. An 18-point victory doesn’t seem like much of a test, but for a team that won its last three games by an average of 40 points, a 75-57 victory over Wakefield-Marenisco serves as a nail-biter.

And that’s a good thing.

Because apart from an eight-point win over Bessemer and an unusual come-from-behind victory over 2-6 Ontonagon, Dollar Bay has blasted through its competition. Tests have been hard to come by.

“I thought this was kind of a heavy-weight fight,” coach Jesse Kentala said. “These guys are good, they are a really good team, and we were excited to get out and see how we would compete against this squad. This is the first game we have had in a while that gave me at least an idea of where we are at. We passed the test.”

W-M was more of a little quiz compared to what’s coming up for the Blue Bolts. On Feb. 6, they will face a test that feels more like a final exam: Ewen-Trout Creek.

That’s why this one meant so much. Kentala needs to know exactly what he’s working with when the Blue Bolts finally face the Panthers in what will likely be a battle of two unbeaten teams. After playing W-M, Dollar Bay is even more prepared.

According to Kentala, the Cardinals posed three major problems for Dollar Bay, and he liked the way his team responded in each scenario.

The first was the offense’s ability to function against a variety of defenses. W-M played just about every defense imaginable, and Dollar Bay found ways to score against each one.

“We saw a 1-2-2, we saw a 2-3 zone, we saw a box and-1 we saw a man-to-man,” Kentala said. “They threw a lot of stuff at us tonight and our guys had to adjust and they had to think. That was really cool to see them have to put the mental part of the game together rather than just making shots. We had to adjust all over the court.”

It’s hard to score against a defense if you can’t identify it, so that is where the next question mark occurred for Dollar Bay. How well would the Blue Bolts react to a constantly shifting defense?

Really well, thanks to Brendan LeClaire. The junior point guard identified each scheme with ease, reporting back to Kentala, and then running the appropriate offense. Kentala has always known how smart LeClaire is on the court, but Wakefield is one of the first teams that made the guard show his brain, rather than just his skill.

“Brendan is our leader and our captain, and he is always the guy that is looking at me saying ‘coach this is what they are doing, what do you want to run?’ It is great having that point guard and that leader on the floor,” Kentala said. “He is such a valuable commodity.”

Finally, the Cardinals allowed Dollar Bay to practice its stalling offense in a game situation. As the clock winds down in the fourth quarter, the Blue Bolts’ starting five are usually on the bench with a comfortable seat and a comfortable lead. This time, Kentala kept his squad on the court and watched how they reacted to slowing things down and milking the clock. At first, it wasn’t ideal. The Blue Bolts continued to fire up shots, and Kentala had to call a timeout.

“We had to call that timeout and say ‘guys, I know you love to shoot, but right now you don’t have to,’ “ Kentala said laughing. ” ‘Kill some clock.’ “

The Blue Bolts learned quickly, taking care of the ball until the buzzer sounded.

Dollar Bay has one more tough game against Bessemer on Jan. 29, and the Blue Bolts aren’t overlooking any opponents, but Kentala doesn’t mince words when it comes to the Feb. 6th matchup with E-TC.

“We will be ready,” he said. “Our guys like the big stage, so we are really looking forward to that game, to test ourselves.”

And there is more than just a potential undefeated record on the line. When it comes to Dollar Bay vs. Ewen-Trout Creek, there is a little bit of pride at stake. In the Class D Associated Press State Poll, the Panthers are ranked No. 6 and Dollar Bay falls in at No. 10 — something the Blue Bolts are certainly aware of.

“The guys have a chip on their shoulder,” Kentala said. “They see the polls. They know. And they kind of like that to be honest. They will take that underdog role.”

Underdogs or not, Dollar Bay is ready. After all, Feb. 6 is only 21 days away.