The Rochester boys basketball team fell behind early and couldn’t catch up to Elma in a 76-41 defeat Tuesday night to open the Evergreen slate.
The Eagles jumped out to a 22-4 lead in the first quarter, and although the Warriors found some life with 18 second-quarter points, another four-point quarter in the third shut down any chances of a comeback. Rochester combined to score 33 of its 41 points in the second and fourth quarters.
“We didn’t make shots. Our guys are moving the ball really well, but we just couldn’t make shots,” Rochester head coach Caleb Sells said of the first and third quarters. “Sometimes, the other team is bigger, faster and stronger.”
Tyson Canales followed up his 47-point outburst from Saturday’s loss to Hockinson with a team-high 12 points Tuesday. Emmitt Mancuso contributed nine points, Isaac Derrick posted six, and Le’Shawn Hines and Clayton Knutson logged five apiece.
“I’m still proud of the freshmen and I’m asking a lot of them,” Sells said. “It is going to pay off as they get older. Paying our basketball tuition, you can say.”
Rochester (0-11, 0-1 Evergreen) has another non-league contest against 1B Columbia Adventist Thursday night before returning to league action next week.
