The opening night of the 2003-04 boys basketball season came with a few first-game jitters for both Brandon and Goodrich.
However, when the dust settled, it was the host Blackhawks who were triumphant, defeating the Martians 69-53 in their Dec. 9 contest.
Senior center Joe Turscak led the Blackhawks (1-0) with 25 points, including 9-of-11 (81.8 percent) from the free throw line, while senior guard Gjon Nicaj added 13 points, and senior forward Tom Schaefer contributed nine points and 14 rebounds. Brandon coach Denny Butcher said Schaefer did a ‘nice job? on the boards.
Junior Mike Skinner scored 13 points for the Martians (0-1), while junior Craig Van Wagoner added 10.
‘Our attitude was great,? Goodrich coach Gary Barns said. ‘We never quit. Our guys were obviously distraught that they lost, but Brandon is a very good team. They’re picked to win their league.?
The first quarter was nip-and-tuck in the beginning, as both teams tried to get acclimated to live game action. However, the Blackhawks pulled away from the Martians to take a 19-6 lead at the end of the first.
Both teams opened things up offensively in the second quarter, as each team took advantage of turnovers by the other squad for transition baskets. Goodrich outscored Brandon by a single point in the second, 20-19, leaving the Blackhawks with a 38-26 halftime lead.
Brandon outscored Goodrich in the second half 31-27 to seal the win.
While acknowledging the Blackhawks need to take better care of the basketball, Butcher said the team did well in its first game of the year.
‘Defensively, I think we did a nice job of containing them,? he said. ‘We had a few too many turnovers, but other than that, we did okay. We had the first-game jitters for about 3-4 minutes, but then we got our feet underneath us.?
Brandon returns to action Tuesday, Dec. 16 when they host Fenton at 7:30 p.m., while Goodrich travels to Flushing that evening.
The Martians will have to wait until Friday, Dec. 19 before playing their first home game of the season against Lake Fenton.
‘We’re looking for an identity,? Barns said. ‘It’s awfully early. We’re hoping by the time Lake Fenton shows up next Friday, we’ll find out our identity.?