STURGIS - Experience prevailed over youth Tuesday night as Sturgis and Douglas met at Sturgis Brown High School in a non-conference boys basketball game.
The Scoopers, boasting several players from last season's state tournament team, posted a 68-45 victory over a Douglas squad with only three seniors.
Douglas took a 6-5 lead in the first quarter as Nate Koch netted a pair of free throws. Sturgis responded with a 12-2 run lasting the quarter's final 2½ minutes. Tyler Hinker tossed in 10 of those points, including a pair of 3-pointers, as the Scoopers led 17-8.
Ethan Dschaak's Scoopers tallied 22 points in the second frame en route to a 39-25 advantage. Sturgis put together a trio of scoring runs during that eight-minute stretch and led by as many as 18. Each spurt was at least four points.
Thomas Nettleton buried an inside jumper to give the Scoopers a 45-25 cushion in the third quarter. Douglas got no closer than 13 points the rest of the night.
Hinker finished with 28 points for Sturgis, which improved to 3-2.
Nettleton chipped in with 18 points.
Koch's 17-point effort enabled him to top Douglas' scoring charts. Pete Melendez followed with 16 points - four of his five field goals were 3-pointers.
Douglas head coach Chris Wieman said Sturgis played physically and ran its offense well.
"Defensively, they banged us around," Wieman continued. "We struggled with the press for a little bit, but we're a young team."
The Patriots wanted to exercise patience on offense and get better shots than in its first game, according to Wieman. Douglas dropped a 62-46 decision to Newell in that Dec. 7 contest.
On defense, Wieman said, Douglas wanted to force Sturgis to shoot. He explained the team hoped to grab some rebounds. Sturgis claimed a 28-18 edge in that category.
The Patriots are 0-2, but Wieman said he has seen a lot of growth as far as maturity with the ball is concerned.
"We're getting physically and mentally stronger," Wieman continued. "I'm really happy with our progress." Douglas faces Spearfish at the Perkins Classic on Dec. 27.
Sturgis' defensive intensity and success in getting the ball inside were much improved from last Friday's Rapid City Stevens contest, Dschaak said.
"If we can get those guys involved a little bit more inside, we're going to be a much better team," Dschaak said. Seniors Kasidy Huffman and Trevor Potts, along with Nettleton, play the post most of the time.
The Sturgis players supported each other after the loss to Stevens, Dschaak continued. "They picked each other up and made plays. I'm proud of them."
Sturgis is off until Jan. 4 when Sioux Falls Roosevelt comes to the Key City.
