DIETERICH — The pace was about as fast as either coach could expect, but Dieterich eventually outran Beecher City and raced to a 65-41 win to open the boys tournament.
Dalton Hinterscher scored 28 points to top all scorers and Dieterich grabbed its second win over the Eagles this month.
“That’s not the same team we saw up there,” said Dieterich coach Jeff Staser. “They’re going to be ready for us (next time).”
In the first quarter of Thursday morning’s game, it looked like Beecher City was more than ready for the Movin’ Maroons. They jumped out to a 13-4 lead over Dieterich, thanks to Brady Barnes scoring seven quick points while Hinterscher struggled to find his shot.
But Dieterich went on a quick 10-0 run of its own and Hinterscher had seven points to close the quarter.
The Maroons started to extend their lead in the second, as Hinterscher had 11 more points in the quarter. Outside of Barnes and Donovan Riley, the Eagle offense went ice cold and Dieterich took a 34-24 lead at halftime.
Things got sloppier as the game progressed, and while Beecher City matched the hustle of Dieterich, the pace seemed to get to them as the game went on.
“You always wonder how your team is going to perform after two or three days off,” Staser said. “We came out a little flat; they beat us to a lot of loose balls.”
Dieterich kept extending the lead through the second half, as both coaches extended their rotations to keep their teams’ legs fresh for the rest of the tournament.
The Maroons took a 52-36 lead into the fourth quarter, and Beecher City scored just five points in the fourth quarter.
Barnes finished with 19 points for Beecher City, and Riley added 10 points of his own.
Beecher City coach Jason Eirhart was not available for comment after the game.
Outside of Hinterscher’s 28 points, the scoring was balanced for Dieterich; Brandon Westjohn had nine points and Devin Aherin had eight.
Despite some of the execution issues for the Maroons, it was a good performance offensively, Staser said.
“When the balls go in the hole like they did, it’s hard to argue,” he said.
Dieterich 65, Beecher City 41
Dieterich 14 20 18 13 — 65
Beecher City 13 11 12 5 — 41
Dieterich — Hinterscher 28, Westjohn 9, Aherin 8, Niemerg 6, Traub 5, Shoemaker 4, Bushue 3, Bohnhoff 2
Beecher City — Barnes 19, Riley 10, Krueger 9, McKay 3
