By John RittenhouseThe Fulda Raiders spoiled the Red Rock Conference opener for the Hills-Beaver Creek girls by toppling the Patriots 58-51 in Hills Tuesday.H-BC, which began the game without the services of two key players, didn’t need the Raiders to find a comfort zone offensively.Fulda, however, made itself right at home in the H-BC gym.The Raiders capped 58 percent of their field goals in the game to set the stage for a 58-51 victory in the RRC opener for both squads."Fulda just came out and started draining their shots," said Patriot coach Tom Goehle. "They weren’t shooting layups, either. They were five of nine from behind the three-point line."H-BC, which limited Central Lyon to two second-half points during a contest played in Hills Monday, missed the services of two players during the game against the Raiders.Junior Melinda Feucht, who started the CL game for H-BC, was lost for the season when she tore her anterior cruciate ligament in the second period of Monday’s game. Senior Melinda Sandstede, who was expected to take Fuecht’s place in the starting five, was unable play at all when she was diagnosed with strep throat."We played pretty well considering we had to juggle our lineup," Goehle said.Fulda got off to a good start by racing to a 15-8 lead in the first quarter and maintaining a seven-point advantage (34-27) at the intermission.H-BC trimmed the difference to four points (48-44) by the end of the third period, but the Raiders outscored the Patriots 10-7 in the final eight minutes of play to win by seven.Erin Boeve led the Patriots with 24 points and five steals in the game. Cassi Tilstra, who chipped in 12 counters, led H-BC with four assists. Amanda Olson pulled down a team-high eight rebounds for the hosts.The 1-1 Patriots play in Adrian Friday and in Tyler Monday.Box scoreRozeboom 4 0 1-2 9, Bush 0 0 0-0 0, Tilstra 4 0 4-5 12, Boeve 11 0 2-4 24, Olson 0 0 2-6 2, Mulder 2 0 0-0 4.Team statisticsH-BC: 21 of 49 field goals (42 percent), nine of 17 free throws (52 percent), 37 rebounds, nine turnovers.Fulda: 25 of 43 field goals (58 percent), three of seven free throws (42 percent), 41 rebounds, 13 turnovers.
