Wolverines stumble 67-43 in season-opening loss at South Whidbey | Boys Basketball

The South Whidbey Falcons dealt the Friday Harbor Wolverines a sizable 67-43 defeat in Friday Harbor's season-opener Dec. 4 at South Whidbey.

South Whidbey senior Riley Newman tallied 17 points to lead all scorers, and fellow senior Tyler Norris dominated play in the low post, dropping in 6-of-11 shot attempts for 12 points and grabbing five rebounds.

The Falcons (1-1), a Division 2A team, out-rebounded the height-challenged Wolverines, which enter the 2010-11 season with little experience in the low post, by a margin of 47-20 over 48 minutes of play, including 17 offensive boards.

"That was a point that we emphasized before the game," Friday Harbor Head Coach Rod Turnbull said of hitting the boards, "So getting out-rebounded like that was a little disappointing."

Despite its lack of size down low, the Wolverines matched South Whidbey stride for stride early on. In fact, they led by two points, at 23-21, in the opening minutes of the second period. But the Falcons took control of the contest by tossing in 16 unanswered points before the break and took a 14-point advantage into the locker room at the break.

The Wolverines (0-1) never recovered.

Senior Roy Taylor scored 14 points to lead the Wolverines, Tanner Buck contributed 11 and Preston Ukra added eight.

Next: The Wolverines host Coupeville Dec. 4 in Turnbull Gym; tip off is 1:30 p.m.

The Wolverines are on the road Dec. 14 for a league match-up against Concrete, beginning at 5 p.m.

Contact Journal of the San Juans Editor Scott Rasmussen at srasmussen@sanjuanjournal.com or 1-360-378-5696.

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