The Douglas Tigers took the floor Thursday night with a sophomore as their only returning starter and only two players with any varsity experience. Two starters weren't even in basketball at this time last year.
But you never would've known it, watching them play their season-opener.
Sophomore center Keith Olson scored 17 points, including three impressive slam dunks, and 13 different players put points on the board for Douglas in an 84-58 romp over Colfax, Calif., in the opening round of the Carson Valley Classic at Douglas High.
"I was a little surprised to tell the truth," Douglas coach Keith Lewis said. "I thought with our inexperience that we would come out tight and tentative.
"But, I didn't see the guys playing with any type of reservation out there. I thought we played very well as a group."
Douglas fans got a look at all 15 of the Tigers' active players (guard Eric Emm is out until at least late December recovering from a knee injury suffered during football season) and the team was able to move the ball efficiently throughout the game.
"These are the games as a coach that you just love," Lewis said. "You're always happy when you can get everyone in there for some good minutes."
The Tigers controlled the tempo of the game and the battle on the boards, outrebounding Colfax 35-11.
"That will be important as the season goes on," Lewis said. "That type of play off the glass will be a big key to us having success."
Aside from a 10-minute delay in the third quarter when the scoreboard went dead, everything when smoothly for the Tigers.
Douglas outscored Colfax 22-12 in the first-quarter and cruised from there.
Ramsey Horse, a big power forward for the Tigers, became an instant outside threat hitting three 3-pointers in the first half.
"Those were some big shots for us," Lewis said. "Colfax was putting together some runs there and Ramsey came down and took them out of it with those baskets."
Horse finished the night with 13 points.
Douglas was able to move the ball around nicely, helped by the strong passing of Skylar McNabb, Reese Kizer, Jared Trowbridge and Bryan Brady.
"I thought we executed very well," Lewis said. "We ran a couple of set plays that worked out and that was good to see."
Aside from Olson, three other sophomores all had breakout nights for the Tigers.
Kizer scored nine points, Nate Whalin had eight, Mike Gransbery had eight.
Gransbery scored all of his points in a span of about two minutes in the third quarter, culminated by a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Senior Collin Kamholz added nine points for the Tigers.
Douglas pulled away in the second quarter, holding Colfax without a point for five and a half minutes.
"Defensively we still need to put some more pressure on," Lewis said. "We have some time to get better, but we just told the guys that they can't rest on this game thinking they've gotten somewhere. They need to come out every night with that same intensity. We can't get caught resting on our laurels."
Ari Iventosh led Colfax with 13 points and Dustin Harper added 10.
