ALTAMONT — Making an early statement and rolling momentum over from football season, the Labette County Grizzlies boys narrowly took down the Frontenac Raiders, 53-52, on Friday night at home.
“I thought we played with great effort tonight but we also left some points and stops out there,” Labette County head coach Bradley Argabright said. “We had some first-game jitters. But we’ve got a high ceiling with this team. We played 11 guys that all got meaningful minutes. We needed all of them to put Frontenac away. It’s a good first win, but we feel like we can play a lot better.”
The Grizzlies led the Raiders, 3020, at halftime and led by as much as 14 in the third quarter.
Frontenac’s zone defense started to stymie the Grizzlies’ offense as the Raiders chipped away.
“We missed some close shots and couldn’t get them to go,” Argabright said. “If we just make a few shots, it could switch things around. Frontenac trusted their zone and had a comeback in there. But we made enough plays when we needed them.”
Leading by five points in the final seconds, two miscues by Labette County allowed the Raiders back into firing range.
A technical foul for a sixth player entering the court let the Raiders trim the lead to three points. The Grizzlies then fouled a 3-point shooter on the ensuing possession, but missed attempts at the charity stripe salvaged the win.
“Some of that was because of our youth,” Argabright said. “Some of it was jitters. Guys got caught up in the moment a bit. You’ve got to put those mistakes out of your mind and move on. We know our guys will keep battling. But we’ve got to know those situations. Those mistakes will beat you later on down the road. I’m glad it happened in Game 1 and we won.”
Tucker Rush led the Grizzlies with a dozen points.
“He’s a kid that started the last half of the season last year and he’s a good post player,” Argabright said. “He’s improved a lot. The time he put in is showing. He did a great job with some tough catches and finishing. It was nice to see. He can also get a lot better if he’s more active. He’s our true post player.”
Kegan Bates and Colten Weil added eight points apiece for Labette County. Kale Coomes led the Raiders with 12 points.
Labette County’s Barrett Hestand missed the opener with an injury suffered during football season.
“We’ll have him back in the next week or two,” Argabright said. “We want him healthy after the break. That’s our main concern. When he’s healthy, he’s a great player. He plays that stretch role for us and he would’ve been a complement for us. We’re looking forward to having him back.”
Up next
Labette County plays in the T-Bird Classic this week, where they’ll face Circle on the road Tuesday, Mulvane at home on Thursday and Collegiate in Towanda on Saturday.
“It’s always a tough tournament,” Argabright said. “If you can get two wins out of it, it’s a great tournament for you. They’ve got good basketball over there, so we’ve got to be ready to go.”
