The Gibson Southern boys’ basketball team faced off against the Memorial Tigers on Friday, December 2. This was the season opener for both teams. Head coach Mark Rohrer thought the team put forth a good effort in the game.

“We were very pleased with our team’s effort and execution against one of the tougher opponents we are going to play all season,” Rohrer said. “There is no such thing as a moral victory in our basketball program, but we feel like we set the bar for our season very high with our effort in the opener.”

The Titans started off the game by winning the tip. The Tigers attacked first, putting the first points on the board shortly into the first, leading the Titans with a score of 3-0. The first bucket for the Titans was senior Ethan Spindler, who hit two free throws to make the score 3-2. Spindler was glad to play the first game of the season; however, he feels they are more prepared now for the next coming games.

“I thought that we were going to play a little better than what we did,” Spindler said. “The first game was a little bit of something to get under our belts. I feel like now we are more prepared heading into the next game.”

The Tigers and the Titans scored a few more points, ending the first quarter with a Memorial lead, 8-6. 

The Titans started out the second quarter with a quick 2-pointer by junior Maxx Wilson. This was followed by another basket from junior Sean DeLong, which combined for a 7-0 run for the Titans, causing the Tigers to use a timeout. The Titans took the lead and ended the first half 13-12. 

The Tigers bounced back in the third quarter with four quick points to make the score 16-15 in their favor. After a few baskets from both teams, the score was close at 21-20 with Gibson Southern trailing and calling a timeout. 

Wilson helped the Titans get two defensive stops by taking two charges. 

“After my first charge, I felt it motivated the team more,” Wilson said. “I felt it gave us the chance to capitalize off their mistakes.”

After the timeout, the Titans took the lead with a basket from Spindler to make it 22-21. The score at the end of the third quarter was tied up at 28-28. 

To start the fourth quarter, there were a few 3-pointers from both sides, which made the score 35-34. The Titans scored two more baskets to take the lead, 38-35. The Titans were up 38-37, but after a foul and two successful free throws by Memorial, the Tigers regained the lead. 39-38, with less than a minute to go. The Titans ran out of time and fell to the Tigers, 40-38. Even though Gibson Southern came up short, Rohrer saw some good things from the night.

“In terms of positives, we did a very good job at the top two things on our priority list for every game,” Rohrer said. “We only had eight turnovers as a team, and we outrebounded Memorial, which was an impressive feat because they are one of the bigger teams we play all season. I was also pleased with our half-court defense for the most part. Ultimately, the game of basketball sometimes comes down to who makes more shots, and we just didn’t make enough shots to come away with a victory. I have confidence that will change and we will be an excellent shooting team as the season moves forward”

The Titans will host the North Huskies on Friday, December 9, for the Titans’ home opener.