Opening night for basketball found the fourth- and fifth-grade Spartans and Tigers of the Hoopster league looking to shake off the off-season rust and get back into basketball condition Tuesday at the East Lawrence Center.

Early on both teams looked to push the ball, but fatigue began to set in. However, it was the Spartan big men who took control late and gave the Spartans a 35-14 victory.

“We were able to shoot the ball well tonight, but we are going to need to spend some time on conditioning and shuffling our feet,” said Spartan head coach Dan Hearnen.

Point guard Austin Abbott set the tone for the Spartans. Abbott played impressively both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Abbott’s quick hands and feet enabled the speedster to position himself defensively and slow the Tiger offense. On the offensive side of the ball, Abbott set up his teammates by slashing and dishing to the open man.

Not to be outdone, Tiger point guard Connor Henricks challenged Abbott up and down the court. The shifty point guard kept Abbott and the Spartans on their toes. Henricks forced Abbott to play tight defense after displaying his offensive abilities with running jumpers, fadeaways and teardrop shots.

Tiger big man Michael Omon was able to contribute with a handful of rebounds and turnaround jumpers. Omon’s size created space for Henricks and the rest of the Tiger offense.

In response, Hearnen turned to his bench and inserted Logan Bannister for the Spartans. Bannister immediately made his presence felt with a turnaround jumper. Bannister was an offensive animal for the Spartans, using an aggressive drop step to attack the hoop. Defensively, Bannister used his height, turning into a shot-blocking machine, to stall the Tiger attack.

Alex Green was alongside Bannister to pick up boards and use their size to force the Tigers into perimeter shots. With Bannister and Green profiting from close-range shots and fatigue setting in for the Tigers, the Spartans were able to record the season-opening victory and move onto the next round of the pre-season tournament.