Midland - A 19 point quarter is a good thing, scoring 28 points in the other three quarters combined is not.  Don't blame Bullock Creek however, blame it on an impressive display of defensive pressure and execution by the visiting Panthers from Alma.  Both teams squared off Tuesday night with a perfect record on the line, at 4-0 a piece.  Also on the line were early bragging rights to the first year in the new Tri-Valley Central Conference.  Alma is a newcomer to the Tri-Valley and have proved their worth in more than one sport already. 

From the opening tip, Alma jumped on the Lancers, pushing out to a 6-0 lead.  The lead hit 9-2 on a Matt Loomis three ball.  Bullock Creek than began to settle down and got the ball into the hand of their playmaker, Andrew Copus who finished the first quarter with 5 points, going into the 1st intermission down 13-9. 

With Copus and Center T.J. Kissane leading the way, the Lancers evened things up with just over 5 and a half minutes to play in the 2nd quarter.  Bullock Creek had adjusted temporarily to the Panther Press and were able to find some open lanes on offense.  Both teams traded baskets and with 1:32 to go before the break, Kody King gave the Lancers their first lead of the game.  King put up a shot, missed and then put it home on the 2nd try after an offensive rebound.  Alma's Danny Wernick tied it with 2 makes from the charity stripe and Kyle Lark put the Panthers back on top with just seconds remaining in the half.  With 8 seconds to go, Copus took the ball down the floor and pushed it towards the hoop where he laid it in before the buzzer sounded, giving his squad a 28-27 lead at the break.  Not a whole lot had gone Bullock Creek's way but they were able to scratch and claw themselves to a slim margin. 

The third quarter was more of the same with both teams battling back and forth but it was the Panthers who finally began to regain momentum and the lead for good.  The Lancer's T.J. Kissane opened the 2nd half with a bucket and a 3 point lead for the Creek.  It was the last time that the Lancer's would see the lead however.  Jake Blake and Matt Loomis poured in the next 8 points for Alma and the Panthers were back in command.  Not ready to go away, just yet, the Lancers got back to within 1 point at 40-39.  The Panthers had one last crack at before the 3rd quarter had ended and they made it count.  In the spirit of Christmas and in honor of National Lampoon's Christmas vacation, Charli 'Griswold' hit the last bucket of the quarter, pushing the lead back out to 3. 

The Panther's Lark added a score to open the fourth quarter and then Blake poured in 5 more, stretching the lead to 10 at 51-41.  If that wasn't bad enough, the nail in the coffin was put home by Griswold.  Benefiting from excellent ball movement, Griswold found himself wide open at the top of the key where a teammate found him and he sank the 3 pointer, putting his Panthers up 13.  The Lancers got as close as nine after a basket by Matt Peterson but that was it.  It was all Alma in the final period, as they outscored Bullock Creek 17-8.  The fourth quarter summed up how well the Alma defense played and how much off an off night the Lancers had because of it.

The turnovers by Bullock Creek, many of them forced weren't the only thing doing them in.  It seemed when the Creek got down into double digits they were in a hurry to make it up and that cost them dearly.  Alma impressed me with their athletic ability and used their size to their advantage all game, making it tough for anyone to come down low and put it in the basket.  Very few baskets went uncontested.  Alma also executed well with their mid-range jumpers, they didn't have very many easy baskets themselves but they benefited from the precise shooting. 

Bullock Creek falls a game back of league leading Alma but these two will hook up again in Alma on February 9th.  I wouldn't be surprised if both teams are in the same position come February but some obstacles still linger.  The conference is solid from top to bottom with Freeland and Swan Valley coming on as of late but the rest are not far behind.  It will be an exciting year in the inaugural TV-Central boy's basketball season.