TMB Panther Grace Dolan (14) gets tied up in double team by Red Rock Falcon Reilly Hubin (11) and Red Rock Falcon Ella Erickson (1) in Saturday’s contest.

LAMBERTON– THE Tracy-Milroy-Balaton Panthers cruised to a season opener victory over the Red Rock Central Falcons 71-27 Saturday evening.

The Panthers came out in the first half and seized control quickly. The Panthers exhibited a press that gave the Falcons fits all game long. The inability of the Falcons to play at their pace was the reason the game got out of hand.

“I think the biggest thing for us was their speed and we didn’t play with enough of good spacing,” Red Rock Central Falcons head coach Adam Schumacher said. “We lost a little bit of strength. The game got into what they wanted it to look like and not what we wanted it to look like. Too many turnovers. We just didn’t play with enough space and speed.”

In the opening half, the Panthers would create multiple easy baskets off of their press. Panthers Guard Jordan Munson had team highs in steals (6), points (19), and rebounds (7). The Panthers were up by 33 at halftime, 43-10.

Sandra Rindfleisch was able to draw could early in the contest, but only made four of her 11 free throws. Rindfleisch also only made four of her 17 field goal attempts. She would lead the Falcons in points (12) and rebounds (7) in the contest.

Coming out in the second half it was a more competitive game between the two squads. But the deficit was just too much for the Falcons to overcome and they fell 71-27.

Schumacher’s message to the team after the loss is that we have a lot more games to go. We can’t make the same mistakes twice. They want to learn and grow as a team moving forward. Understanding circumstances on the floor and wanting to get to their style of play in games.

Kylie Carter would add 14 points for the Panthers and teammate Hailey Gernentz added 10 in the ballgame. The Panthers shot 52 percent from the field and 40 percent from the three-point line. The Panthers also had 22 steals in the game with their aggressive defense by pressing.

“I thought we did a good job of creating and pushing the tempo all game long,” TMB head coach Derek Ashbaugh said. “I think this group understands how successful we can be playing at an up-and-down pace. We were also able to get some turnovers in the first half. We have some things to work on, but it is game one. We will see what we can tweak, work on and get ready for Tuesday night to keep this going.

Ashbaugh also added that Munson is a one-person fast break by herself. He also said she’s a great decision maker and being in the open court is where she’s at her absolute best. His last point was that Munson is the reigning conference MVP for a reason, she’s really good and sets the tone for the team.

The TMB Panthers (1-0) will be back in action on Tuesday night in their home opener hosting the Murray County Central Rebels at 7:30 pm. RRC Falcons (0-1) are also in action as well on Tuesday night facing Springfield on the road at 7:30 p.m.