Hannibal falls in boys basketball season opener

“I was happy with it overall,” said Hannibal head coach Marty Hull. “To be honest, these guys have never played a varsity game together. So they are still working on chemistry and I thought we got better as the game went on.”

Hannibal senior guard Aaris Stolte led the team in scoring with 21 points, including nine fourth quarter points.

“That’s the way Aaris is going to have to play every single night,” Hull said. “He didn’t force many shots. I give him the green light to pretty much do whatever. There was a couple of shots I didn’t like, but at the same time he’s a tremendous shooter.”

The Pirates took an early 11-8 lead after a quarter of play with both teams feeling each other out.

The momentum swung the Bobcats direction in the second quarter with Bowling Green outscoring Hannibal by a 21-13 margin. Bowling Green capitalized at the free throw line in the second quarter, going 7-for-9.

It was not all bad for Hannibal in the second quarter, with junior DaeShon Glasgow coming off the bench to score seven points in the quarter. Glasgow would finish the game second in scoring with 13 points.

Hannibal went on a surge early in the third quarter and tied the game at 34-34 with a little under four minutes remaining in the quarter. However, Bowling Green went on a 12-2 run to close out the third quarter.

The Pirates rallied back to tie the game at 54-54 with under two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Stolte hit a three to give Hannibal a brief 57-56 lead, but it would not last.

“I was happy with that,” Hull said. “There was a time we were down eight (points) and brought it to a (tie). We were down 10 (points) and we took the lead. I told them that was mental toughness there. They could had folded, especially when they got down 10 late.”

Bowling Green took control late in the game, sealing their win with a free throw and a bucket from Brayden Heidecker.

Bobcats junior forward Jackson Charlton led his team with 12 points. Two other Bowling Green players reached double-digit points, with Marcus Starks and Kaden Chandler both reaching 10 points.

Hannibal (0-1) will compete in the Winfield Tip Off Classic next, which begins on Tuesday, Nov. 30 against Elsberry.

“We are going to give them three days off for Thanksgiving,” Hull said. “Let them rest their legs and heal up. That was a physical game. We want them to support football on Saturday, so we will start early with practice and watch film. See where we can make improvements on and practice on Sunday and Monday.”