Edison opens with much-needed win

MILAN — Yes, it was only the first game. But when a program has had the past three seasons that the Edison boys basketball team has endured, some emotion is a good thing. The Chargers were giving high-fives, yelling and celebrating frequently in a 45-30 win over visiting New London in the season opener for both teams in Friday's non-league matchup in Milan. After finishing 16-8 in the 2017-18 season, the Chargers were just 7-61 over the past three seasons. That includes a 20-game losing streak last season — which was stopped in the regular season finale — in an overtime victory at New London — in a 1-21 overall mark. "We talked about getting off to a fast start, because we've had a few down years," Edison coach Kyle Hammond said. "We had a good crowd and we played with a lot of energy. It was a good night for us." Edison did not make a shot from the floor until the game was 3:13 old. But once it did, the Chargers closed the opening quarter on a 15-0 scoring run to take a 15-3 lead. That included six points from senior Brady Barker, who came up even bigger later in the game. Leading 19-10 in the second quarter, Luke Blatnik scored, then 3-pointers by Kayden Bourget and Jack Brown put the Chargers up 27-10 with 2:41 left in the first half. When New London's Gavin Carruthers stopped the scoring spree with a 3-pointer of his own, Brown came right back and made another as Edison led 30-15 at the break. New London didn't go quietly into the first night, however. Trailing 32-15, the Wildcats went on a 10-0 scoring run over a 3:39 span in the third quarter. Conner Byrd and Carruthers each made 3s, while Evan Rivera and Jamil Arnold scored inside, which cut the deficit to 32-25 at the 2:18 mark of the quarter. But Bourget answered for the Chargers, as consecutive baskets, including capping a three-point play, extended the lead to 37-25. Rivera scored to bring the 'Cats within 37-28 with 4:31 remaining, but just 20 seconds later, Barker drilled a 3, then proceeded to score eight unanswered points in a row to put Edison up 45-28 with 2:59 left. "I'm extremely proud of Brady," Hammond said after the senior scored a game-high 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting. "He worked so hard in the offseason and made a goal to get a lot better. For him to play like that on opening night, I couldn't be any happier for him." For New London, Carruthers scored nine points and Byrd added eight, while Arnold grabbed 10 rebounds. The Wildcats were hurt by 21 turnovers in the loss, as they scored just three points in the first quarter and four in the fourth. "We had a rough first quarter, and that's where the game was decided," first-year New London coach Randy Endsley said. "The second half was even — we got good shots, but not enough because of how many turnovers we had. You can't turn the ball over 20 times and expect to be there at the end. "The kids played hard and stayed with it with a great effort defensively in the second half and got us back in the game." Endsley said he wants his team to carry that same second-half intensity into Saturday's game at Wellington. "I think we did a better job of not turning it over as well in that third quarter stretch, which is what got us back in the game," Endsley said. "But then a couple turnovers in a row took us right out of it again." Edison also got 16 points from Bourget, with Brown adding eight. The Chargers are at Huron next Friday in their SBC Bay opener. "We want to play faster than we've played," Hammond said. "We're pretty undersized so we have to be a pretty scrappy team. We play in such a difficult league, but we feel that's the best fit for us — to get up and down the floor a little bit faster. "There are some things we have to do better as far as execution, but we had a feeling that would be tough on the first night for a lot of kids. We know we have a lot of room to improve." NEW LONDON (0-1) Anthony Springfield 1-0—2; Joey Cuda 0-2—2; Logan Wallace 0-1—1; Gavin Carruthers 3-0—9; Ethan Rivera 2-0—4; Jamil Arnold 1-2—4; Conner Byrd 2-3—8. TOTALS 9-8—30. EDISON (1-0) Brady Barker 6-0—16; Jack Brown 2-2—8; Kayden Bourget 6-3—16; Troy Rutherford 1-0—2; Noah Smith 0-1—1; Luke Blatnik 1-0—2. TOTALS 16-6—45. N. London 3 12 11 4 — 30 Edison 15 16 7 8 — 45 3-point FGs: (NL) Carruthers 3; Byrd; (E) Barker 4, Brown 2, Bourget JV: Edison won