A good-sized crowd turned out for the Frontier Athletic Conference’s first night of boys basketball Friday, Dec. 2 at Miami Trace High School.

The Panthers hosted the McClain Tigers, the defending FAC champions.

Miami Trace led wire to wire, posting a 58-39 victory.

The Panthers improved to 2-0 overall.

McClain is now 0-2 on the young season.

Miami Trace senior Andrew Guthrie and junior Bryson Osborne shared the team lead in scoring, each with 13 points. Osborne had one three-point basket and led the Panthers with six assists.

Guthrie had a double-double, pulling down 17 rebounds. He also had three assists, one steal and two blocked shots.

McClain junior Andrew Potts was the game’s leading scorer with 15 points. He hit two three-point field goals.

Miami Trace junior Brady Armstrong scored 10 points, with six of those coming from behind the three-point line.

Panther sophomore Trey Robinette scored eight points, hitting one three. He also recorded one blocked shot.

Senior Shay Salyers scored seven points, with one three.

Freshman Grant Guess scored two for the Panthers.

For the Tigers, junior Seth Weller scored 10 points.

Sophomore Zane Adams had seven points (with one three-point field goal); senior Gavin Warren hit one three-point field goal, finishing with three points; senior Trey Badgley and sophomore Owen Sykes each chipped in two points for the Tigers.

Miami Trace led by as many as seven points in the first quarter, taking a 14-8 lead after eight minutes of play.

The Panthers increased their advantage to as many as 23 points before McClain hit a three at the buzzer to put the margin at 34-14 heading into the halftime break.

McClain outscored Miami Trace 13-9 in the third quarter. The Tigers trailed 43-27 heading into the final quarter.

The Tigers drew to within 15 points, but on this night the lead and the outcome was secure for the Panthers with the 58-39 final.

“I thought in the first half we were great,” Miami Trace head coach Ben Ackley said. “We shot it well and the flow was good; we played with pace and purpose, which are two of the things we’ve been talking a lot about.”

Ackley said he was underwhelmed by the Panthers’ play in the second half.

“We went 6-17 last year and these kids, I don’t know if they’ve gone into the locker room up by 20 too many times,” Ackley said. “We just have to do a better job of putting the lid on the jar when we’re done.”

Miami Trace is back in action at home Tuesday for an FAC game against the Hillsboro Indians.

The Tigers will host the Washington Blue Lions next Friday. Washington is 3-1 overall after a 61-45 win over Chillicothe. The Cavaliers are now 1-2 on the season.

Jackson defeated Hillsboro Friday, 44-40. Hillsboro is now 1-2 overall. It was Jackson’s first game of the season.

McClain won the freshman game Friday, 30-28 and Miami Trace won the j-v game, 40-29.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

MT 14 20 9 15 — 58

Mc 8 6 13 12 — 39

MIAMI TRACE — Shay Salyers 2 (1)-0-7; Trey Robinette 2 (1)-1-8; Grant Guess 1-0-2; Coleden May 0-0-0; Tate Landrum 0-0-0; Brady Armstrong 2 (2)-0-10; Isaiah Resinger 0-0-0; Austin Boedeker 2-1-5; Bryson Sheets 0-0-0; Andrew Guthrie 6-1-13; Bryson Osborne 5 (1)-0-13; Holden Hunter 0-0-0. TOTALS —- 20 (5)-3-58. Free throw shooting: 3 of 6 for 50 percent. Three-point field goals: Armstrong, 2; Salyers, Robinette, Osborne. Field goal shooting: 25 of 51 for 49 percent. Three-point field goal shooting: 5 of 12 for 42 percent. Rebounds: 37 (9 offensive) Turnovers: 14. Assists: 15. Steals: 5. Blocked shots: 3. Fouls: 16.

McCLAIN — Zane Adams 2 (1)-0-7; Seth Weller 2-6-10; Riley Cummins 0-0-0; Trey Badgley 1-0-2; Gavin Warren 0 (1)-0-3; Owen Sykes 1-0-2; Josiah Burchett 0-0-0; Robbie Wise 0-0-0; Andrew Potts 3 (2)-3-15; David Edwards 0-0-0. TOTALS — 9 (4)-9-39. Free throw shooting: 9 of 18 for 50 percent. Three-point field goals: Potts, 2; Adams, Warren. Field goal shooting: 13 of 45 for 29 percent. Three-point field goal shooting: 4 of 14 for 29 percent. Turnovers: 15. Offensive rebounds: 8.