Grizzlies grab home opener, defeat Florin 86-48

On Tuesday night, the Granite Bay Grizzlies boys' basketball team played its first home game of the season - and unfortunately for the 0-5 Florin Panthers, the Grizzlies unleashed their fury."We just played a near-perfect game," coach Guin Boggs said. "It was a great team effort; everyone was on the same page."The Grizzlies started the contest quickly, utilizing their strength in the paint with baskets by seniors Clint Pekarsky and Tyler Fehr, along with a pair of free throws from Dominic Leggio. Pekarsky, who totaled 20 in the game, led the team with seven points in the first quarter, while Fehr finished off the quarter with six. Guard Corey Vanderbeek came off the bench and contributed three consecutive assists to spark a 9-0 run five minutes into the game. By the end of the first period, the Grizzlies had jumped out to a 25-15 lead.But in the second quarter, the Panthers stole some of the momentum by outscoring the Grizzlies 13-2, thanks to three, three-point baskets and one three-point play. But the Grizzlies responded with four straight baskets and ended the first half with a score of 42-33."We were able to pull ourselves together after they made their run," Boggs said. "Our boys showed some real fight in them." The fight Boggs spoke of was prevalent in the second half as Granite Bay, behind Pekarsky and Fehr, opened up their lead to 20 points by the end of the third quarter. It was not all good, though, as Pekarsky suffered a slight ankle sprain near the end of the quarter.Granite Bay poured it on in the fourth quarter, hitting its first six baskets of the period. "They really turned it on in the fourth quarter," Boggs said. "Everything came together and they showed how good they could be."After building a substantial 30-point lead, Boggs pulled his starters. The game ended in an 86-48 win for Granite Bay, which improved their overall record to 6-2. The league season begins for the Grizzlies on Jan. 2 when the team takes on Nevada Union at home.