By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
OTSEGO—A game-best 17 points from Louis DiGrandi wasn’t enough to lift the Otsego boys basketball team to a win in its season opener against Vicksburg on Monday, Nov. 25.
Otsego fell by a score of 72-54.
“Overall, Vicksburg did a great job controlling the glass and getting second chance shots,” Otsego coach Matt Dennis said. “While we had moments where we played well in our full-court press and moved the ball effectively on offense, we didn’t do it consistently enough to disrupt Vicksburg’s game plan. They pushed the ball hard in transition, hit the glass hard, and were very balanced in scoring.”
Otsego kept the score close for the first quarter, trailing just 20-19. But the deficit grew to double digits by halftime, with Vicksburg leading 38-28.
Colin Fitzpatrick added 10 points for Otsego, with Owen Santman going for eight and Matthew Long chipping in with seven.
“While we want to win every time we step on the court, I knew we would have some growing pains going into this season,” Dennis said. “We only return one player with significant varsity experience, meaning 90 percent of our guys are getting on the court for the first time.
“This game was a learning experience and one we will grow from and I expect we will be better for it moving forward.”
