By By Adam Robinson – sports editor
It did not start out pretty or end pretty but it was what was in the middle that was good.
After only outscoring Northview by a total of four points in the first and fourth quarters, T.R. Miller (1-0) outscored the Chiefs by 24 in the second and third en route to an 81-53 season opening win Friday night at T.R. Miller gymnasium.
The Tigers outscored the Chiefs 24-6 in the second quarter as three Tigers scored in double figures for the game. Teras Fountain had 18 points to lead the Tigers as Terry Hetherington had 15 and Jordan Knight had 10.
T.R. Miller head coach Rob Atkinson was pleased with the way his team played in their first game.
After a sloppy first quarter that saw a lot of missed shots early, T.R. Miller held a 13-9 at the end of the first.
The second quarter was much better for the Tigers as they rushed out to a 26-9 with 3:17 left in the quarter before the half.
Hetherington had 8 points for the Tigers in the 13-point explosion as the Tigers held Northview scoreless until the 2:44 mark in the quarter.
The Tigers continued to build their big lead as Fountain put the Tigers up 32-10 with 1:58 left in the game as the Tigers went on to a 37-15 halftime lead.
The Tigers came out in the third still riding the second quarter high as they built a 45-17 after Fountain's two-pointer with 5:20 left in the third quarter.
Already with a 53-23 lead, Northview closed the Tiger lead to 53-27 with 1:38 left in the quarter but David Payne put a stop to that as he brought down the house with a put back dunk to put the Tigers up 55-27 with 1:30 left in the quarter as the Tigers held a 57-29 lead at the end of the third quarter.
T.R. Miller built a 61-29 lead with 7:00 left in the game after a Brandon Andrew's basket.
The closest Northview would come to the big Tiger lead was 26 points with 3:52 as the Tigers were too much for the Chiefs and went on for the 81-53 win.
The Tigers will be back in action on Friday when they travel to Mobile to take on UMS-Wright for a 4:30 p.m. tip.
NV- 9 6 14 24-53
TRM- 13 24 20 24-81
Scorers: Fountain 18, Hetherington 15, Knight 10, Redfearn 7, Riley 7, Andrews 6, D. Payne 6, Cunningham 6, J. Payne 4, M. Lane 2