BRAVES WIN BASKETBALL OPENER

    The Britton-Hecla boys basketball team put together a 13-0 run in the second quarter to grab a 13-point halftime lead and Tiospa Zina was never able to recover as the Braves posted a 67-38 win in the season opener for both clubs on Friday.
    Coach Troy Knecht’s squad was supposed to play at Northwestern on Monday but that game was postponed when sickness and injury left the Braves with just seven varsity players.  The next scheduled contest is Friday at Webster in a twin bill with the girls before a two-week holiday break.
    “Going in I was cautiously optimistic,” said Knecht.  “We were down Jaxon (Zuehlke, knee injury) and Chaz (Vietor, sickness), and those two will be really important for us as far as rebounding and protecting the rim goes.  However, I love the way we practiced over our preseason and felt like if we came with energy, shared the ball and executed our defense we would be in a good position to win regardless of our personnel.”
    That’s exactly what the Braves were able to accomplish.
    “We shot a little better than we have historically, and we turned them over 31 times I think,” said Knecht.  “That was probably the biggest key to the win.  Well-rounded scoring and unselfish play were a big part of it as well, plus an amazing effort.  The guys were really flying around and grabbing loose balls.”
    The Wambdi came out firing with senior Ashden Sierra hitting three treys in the first four minutes to help his club to a 12-11 lead with 3:35 to play in the opening period.  But the visitors didn’t score again that quarter and Will Richter hit a jumper and Nathan Folkman scored off a Graham Fosness assist for a 15-12 lead at the break.
    The game was tied at 19-all with 2:22 left in the half, but Tiospa Zina never led again.  B-H exploded for 15 points in the final two minutes, thanks to its 13-0 run in just a minute and a half.
    Folkman started things off with a driving hoop and five seconds later came up with a steal, converting a three-point play.  Mitchell Burger added a fielder after a TZ turnover, and then Daniel Person sandwiched a rebounded free throw around a pair of free tosses and Richter swished a pair of free throws to send the Wambdi reeling and giving the Braves a 34-21 halftime lead.
    Any thoughts of a Wambdi comeback were squashed early in the third period.  This time the hosts went on an 11-0 run led by five straight points from Fosness to boost the lead to 45-23 midway through the quarter.  TZ did outscore the Braves 12-6 to cut the margin to 51-35 at the break, but B-H countered with a nine-point run to start the fourth stanza, led by Person’s six straight points, to put the game away.
    Person led a balanced scoring effort for the Braves with 19 points, Fosness added 15, and Richter and Folkman had 10 apiece.  B-H did struggle at the charity stripe, hitting just 11-25 tries.
    “Room for improvement for us after dissecting the film are better defensive positioning in the zone, a few less turnovers and better free throw shooting,” concluded Knecht.  “Otherwise, it was nice way to start the season.”
TIOSPA ZINA: Javier Dominguez 0 2-4 2, Ashden Sierra 6 0-0 17, Tabawani Peters 0 0-2 0, Jeffrey Heminger 3 2-3 8, Devon Bluehorse 2 0-0 5, Tayton Thompson 3 0-0 6. Totals 14 4-9 38.
    BRITTON-HECLA: Will Richter 3 2-4 10, Mitch Burger 3 0-2 6, Graham Fosness 6 2-6 15, Daniel Person 7 4-7 19, Jordyn McGregor 3 1-2 7, Nathan Folkman 4 2-4 10. Totals 26 11-25 67.
TZ (0-1) 12 21 35 38
BH (1-0)15 34 51 67
    3-point goals – Sierra 5, Bluehorse; Richter 2, Fosness, Person. Fouled out – Dominguez, Peters. Total fouls – TZ 21; BH 10.