LITTLE ROCK — The Bryant Blue Hornets eighth grade team of Bethel Middle School captured a 50-36 victory over the Anthony School Panthers of Little Rock to open the 2014-15 season on Monday night.
The seventh grade teams played as well.
Randy Thomas was the leading scorer for the eighth grade Hornets who were making their debut under head coach Dominic Lincoln.
“We started off super slow but we are just now getting our legs under us,” the coach said. “It was our first game with little practice time. They played really fast and physical late on in the game, which is exactly how I want them to play.”
Lincoln also noted the play of Chris Fuller.
“He was a bright spot,” the coach said. “He is learning a new spot but stepped in and made some big shots for us.”
Ethan Hilkert led all scorers in the seventh grade game with 11 points.
“The seventh grade team played extremely well as a unit,” Lincoln related. “I was proud of their effort. But we have a long way to go to be the team we are capable of being.”
The eighth grade team is set to play in a tournament at Anthony School starting Nov. 17. The next outing for the seventh grade squad is schedule to be at the Wildcat Shootout at Little Rock Episcopal starter Dec. 1.