The Blaine boys’ basketball squad dropped their first game of the season on Saturday night, in a 59-55 loss to Henry Sibley at home.

It was the first time the Bengals took the court in front of their home crowd, but their resiliance just wasn’t enough to overcome Henry Sibley runs. The Warriors led by double digits on multiple occasions.  They got a huge boost from Adam Huessner, who started the game on fire from three point range.  Huessner finished with 24 points.

The biggest killer for the Bengals was their inability to shoot the ball.  Blaine shot 38% from the floor* and just 19% from behind the arc.

Jerome Egbujor(12) and Kunle Ayinde(12) both came off the bench to supply efficacious comeback efforts for Blaine. Egbujor didn’t miss a shot in the game, racking up ten points and providing an emotional spark that enticed his team and the fans in the BHS field house.  Ayinde did his own kind of energizing, as he pestered Warriors point guard Julius Johnson and had four steals. Ayinde added a blocked shot and made each of his six free throws. Ayinde had eight points in the game.

Blaine will have to wait a while to seek revenge against Henry Sibley, a non-conference opponent.  The Warriors play their home games in Mendota Heights.

The Bengals’ next game is at home against Osseo on Tuesday, December 11.

* All player and team stats are unofficial recordings