SILVER CREEK — The Silver Creek Black Knights girls basketball team’s effort propelled them to a non-league victory over the North Collins Eagles in their season opener on Tuesday night, 63-31.

A large first quarter got Silver Creek going in the right direction and they never looked back, giving the Black Knights a 23-5 lead. Intense pressure in the full court early on forced several turnovers to give the Black Knights uncontested layups. Silver Creek then dropped their press, but kept the defensive pressure in the half court continued to force many turnovers.

Abby Rice nailed two 3-pointers during that time and offensive rebounds by Kiera Brennan gave the Black Knights many second chance points. Silver Creek was able to execute their offense perfectly as they hit their cutter down the lane from the short corner on multiple occasions.

“We came out strong and played great early on,” said Silver Creek coach Tammy Rice. “We had so many contributions and did a great job on both ends of the ball.”

Silver Creek (1-0) continued its success in the second quarter as they were able to work the ball behind North Collins zone for many layups. North Collins also got going offensively in the middle of the quarter with two layups that Cianna Tobia got after her steals. Silver Creek kept up the pressure and finished strong with high quality shots after great ball movement.

“We did an amazing job of playing team ball in the first half. We shared the ball and made good decisions by seeing each other and making good cuts to get the ball,” said Coach Rice.

In the third quarter, Silver Creek got a quick steal and an old fashioned three point play from Jaeleigh Cruz. Later in the quarter, Silver Creek’s Kaylee Hutchison and the Eagles’ Cianna Tobia exchanged three point shots to give a glimpse of what these eighth graders can do and the young talent that both teams have.

“We have a very young team and it showed early on in the game,” said North Collins coach Vince Fininzio. “As the game went on, we began to settle down and find our way.”

North Collins saved its best play for the fourth quarter as the Eagles outscored the Black Knights 13-9. The tighter zone defense prevented Silver Creek from getting high percentage shots. In transition, North Collins was able to find its stride with quick three point strikes from Michaela Rice in transition.

“We need to work on changing between our defenses,” Rice added. “There were a lot of miscommunications in our rotations and we need to learn from those mistakes moving forward.”

Silver Creek was led by Abby Rice who scored 21 points and contributed with ten rebounds and seven assists. Brennan chipped in with 13 points and seven rebounds and Emma Rice added five assists. Cruz and Jaylah Crossin each contributed with four steals.

Tobia led North Collins with 16 points while Michaela Rice shipped in with 11. The Lady Eagles shot well from the free throw line, going 7-9 as a team.

Both teams are in action again on Friday where North Collins plays Global Concepts and Silver Creek hosts Forestville in the Hae Jude Tournament.