The Hitchcock-Tulare Boys Basketball team kicked off its season with a non-conference game in Tulare vs the Ipswich Tigers. A lot of new faces for the Patriots this season, with 4 Freshmen contributing to the team, along with some Juniors and Sophomores. None of which have had any Varsity experience, meaning mistakes will be made. That is the story of how this game will go for the Patriots.
The 1st quarter went back and forth between the Tigers and Patriots, with the Tigers taking the lead by the end 15-10. The Patriots closed the gap in the 2nd quarter and even took the lead, but a couple turnovers in the final seconds, cost the Patriots the lead with Ipswich being up 26-22 at the half. The 3rd quarter was much of the same, with the leads switching between the teams, but then Jackson Maynard hit a 3 at the buzzer to break a tie at 36, to give the Patriots the lead going into the 4th quarter, 39-36! A big scoring 4th quarter from the Tigers, scoring 21, was too much for the young Patriots to hold onto the lead, losing 57-48.
The Patriots used a balance attack, with freshman Patrick Maynard leading the way with 13 points, 2 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. His brother Jackson also hit double digits with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists. Senior Erik Salmen scored 9 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 assist. Freshman Devin Enander provided the Patriots with 8 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Off the bench, Briggs LaBrie scored 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal.
The Patriots made way too many mistakes in the 1st game, having 20 turnovers and 21 fouls. They were also out-rebounded 34-30 by the Tigers. Those 3 things will need to be cleaned up for the Patriots if they want to find the win column. Overall, the Patriots battled all game and showed that they can match up with more experienced teams. The inexperience will work itself out and the Patriots will get back to work this week.
Next game is in Woonsocket on Tuesday, Dec 12th, when the Patriots take on the Sanborn Central/Woonsocket Blackhawks in a 281 Conference matchup.