CATAWISSA RR - There were some things about Southern Columbia's season-opening 83-58 non-league victory over Line Mountain Saturday night that weren't exactly pretty.
The Tigers committed a bunch of fouls - 25, to be exact. Line Mountain was whistled for 24. For those keeping track, that's 49 fouls in 32 minutes.
The Tigers turned the ball over 11 times in the first half, then kind of cleaned up their act. The Eagles turned it over 24 times for the game - 12 in each half.
It was opening night. ... That kind of game.
Still, when Line Mountain, trailing by 20, 34-14, midway through the second quarter, made a first-half-ending run to cut that deficit to nine at the break, the Tigers came out after the half with a resounding answer.
A 16-5 Southern run to open the third quarter bumped that margin back up to 20 and the Eagles were never able to make another run.
"I like the intensity we had, and I liked the way the kids ran what we drew up for them," said Southern coach Joey Britto. "The turnovers? That's not that much of a concern for me in the first half of the first game.
"It's a new season. There's jitters."
Tigers' veterans Mike Klebon, the game's leading scorer, and Kyle Mostik, both key components in a successful season last year, were the sparks on the offensive end, finishing with 22 and 21 points, respectively. Walker Palacz, another experienced player, was the third Southern player in double figures with 13.
For Line Mountain, the high scorer offered a glimpse of what might be to come.
Freshman CJ Reichard, son of head coach Craig Reichard, knocked down 21 points, including a perfect 7-of-7 at the free throw line. He was one of the keys to the Eagles' late first-half run, scoring seven points inside the final 3 minutes, 14 seconds, when Line Mountain cut drastically into the Southern advantage.
He had some help from guard Brady Michael, who included a pair of treys among his 12 points.
"Southern Columbia had more speed than us," Craig Reichard said. "They rebounded better. They're a very athletic team.
"Overall, though, I'm happy. This was a very tough place for us to open. I think our team has a lot of wins in it."
Game Summary
LINE MOUNTAIN (58) - Reichard 6 7-7 21, Michael 5 0-0 12, Masser 2 2-2 8, Ingram 1 2-5 4, Bartholomew 2 1-2 5, Hepner 0 0-0 0, Mace 0 3-6 3, Kaleta 1 2-4 4, Hartman 0 1-2 1. Totals 17 18-28 58.
Southern (83) - Palacz 5 0-0 13, Klebon 9 2-3 22, Mostik 9 2-3 21, Wilson 3 1-2 8, Young 2 2-4 6, Marzeski 1 1-3 3, Ciocco 0 2-2 2, Brokus 3 1-4 7, Keiser 0 0-0 0, Henry 0 1-2 1.
3-point FGs: Line Mountain 6) - Reichard 2, Michael 2, Masser 2; Southern (7) - Palacz 3, Klebon 2, Mostik, Wilson