MEADVILLE - Playing as a last minute fill, the Tidioute Charter boys basketball teams opened the season with a pair of losses Friday and Saturday at the Meadville Calvary Baptist Tip-off Tournament.
The Bulldogs (0-2) opened the year with a 57-37 loss to Portersville Christian on Friday. Portersville jumped out to a 17-point lead after the first quarter, but Tidioute played strong the remainder of the game.
Newcomer Ben Kightlinger, a transfer student, finished with a team-high 18 points in the loss. Point guard Brian Faulkner added nine points and Pat Thompson and Jordan Yeager chipped in four points apiece.
"We played really well Friday night with the exception of that first quarter," said TCCS coach Dave Manning. "We shot the ball well, but struggled with rebounding. We have the height this year. We just have to find a way to get the boys to crash the boards."
Another slow first-quarter hurt TCCS on Saturday during a 55-18 loss to Twin Tiers out of New York state. Twin Tiers led 25-0 after the first eight minutes and the Bulldogs were forced to play much of the game without two starters who were banged up in Friday night's loss.
Kightlinger again led the Bulldogs with nine points with Yeager adding five markers and Travis McLaughlin and Todd Breeden two points each.
Fact Box
FRIDAY
TCCS (37): Jordan Yeager 2 0-0 4, Jonathan Buccardo 0 0-0 0, Brian Faulkner 4 1-2 9, Travis McLaughlin 1 0-0 2, Gus Martin 0 0-0 0, Chance Klos 0 0-0 0, Pat Thompson 2 0-0 4, Dan Heckman 0 0-0 0, Ben Kightlinger 8 1-2 18, Todd Breeden 0 0-0 0, Lukas Divido 0 0-0 0, Totals: 17 2-4 37
PORTERVILLE (57): Graham 4 1-2 9, Coomben 0 1-4 1, Faul 2 0-0 4, Slobada 1 0-0 2, White 8 3-4 20, Huntman 6 6-7 20, Derries 0 1-2 1, Totals: 21 12-19 57
TCCS 4 9 10 14 - 37
Porterville 21 10 14 12 - 57
3-pointers: T- Kightlinger; P- White, Huntman 2
SATURDAY
TWIN TIERS (55): Burvee 3 0-0 6, Gerring 6 0-1 12, Torres 1 3-4 5, Decker 2 0-0 4, Shaw 3 0-0 6, Switzer 2 1-2 5, Balas 3 0-0 6, Donahue 1 0-0 2, Mattoon 1 0-0 2, Torres 2 0-3 4, Cooper 1 1-2 3, Totals: 25 5-12 55
TCCS (18): Jordan Yeager 2 1-2 5, Jonathan Buccardo 0 0-0 0, Brian Faulkner 0 0-0 0, Travis McLaughlin 1 0-2 2, Gus Martin 0 0-0 0, Chance Klos 0 0-0 0, Pat Thompson 0 0-0 0, Ben Kightlinger 4 0-0 9, Brian Bonner 0 0-0 0, Todd Breeden 0 2-2 2, Lukas Divido 0 0-0 0, Totals: 7 3-6 18
Twin Tiers 25 11 6 13 - 55
TCCS 0 9 4 5 - 18
3-pointers: TT- None; TCCS- Kightlinger
TCCS will play in its second tip-off tournament Friday at East Forest. In a tournament that also includes West Forest and the host Bears, the Bulldogs will play Cameron County in Friday's 6 p.m. opener.