By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek boys’ basketball team opened the season by posting a big win on the road Friday.Playing defending Section 3AA champion Pipestone in Pipestone, the Patriots gained some early-season momentum by posting a 58-45 victory over the Arrows."The boys played really well Friday," offered Patriot coach Steve Wiertzema.The Patriots started the game in impressive fashion by outscoring the Arrows 18-13 in the first quarter.Pipestone whittled the difference to three points (30-27) by halftime, but H-BC went on a 15-7 scoring run in the third quarter to open an 11-point cushion (45-34) before prevailing by 13 points at game’s end.The Patriots canned 50 percent of their field goals and outscored the Arrows 10-2 at the free-throw line during the victory.Tyler Bush, who charted seven assists, scored 11 points after making four of six shots from the field.Kale Wiertzema, who had nine rebounds to lead H-BC, recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists. Trey Van Wyhe added 14 points and six rebounds.Tom LeBoutillier contributed six rebounds and two steals to H-BC’s cause.Box scoreBush 3 1 2-3 11, Wysong 3 0 0-0 6, Jackson 0 0 0-0 0, Broesder 0 0 2-2 2, Wiertzema 5 1 1-2 14, Van Wyhe 5 0 4-4 14, Spykerboer 2 0 0-0 4, LeBoutillier 3 0 1-3 7.Team statisticsH-BC: 23 of 46 field goals (50 percent), 10 of 14 free throws (71 percent), 27 rebounds, eight turnovers.Pipestone: 20 of 61 field goals (33 percent), two of five free throws (40 percent), 23 rebounds, seven turnovers.
