The Daniel Boone High School boys’ basketball team opened the season by finishing third in the Northeastern Tip-Off Tournament held Dec. 5 and 6. The Daniel Boone girls team did not participate in a tournament, but split their first two games of the season.
The Boone boys began the season with a tournament opening game against Red Lion. A 43-point first half helped Red Lion to a 66-19 victory over the Blazers. Red Lion jumped out to a 21-4 lead after one quarter, then increased the advantage to 37 points at halftime, 43-6. Boone could not recover from the deficit.
Ryan Okuniewski led the Daniel Boone offense with eight points in the contest. Jake Kuhn netted five and Ryan Zamicelli scored four.
The loss sent the Blazers to the consolation round game on Saturday where they took on Southwestern Maryland. This was a close one all the way through, but it was Daniel Boone that came out on top, 53-49.
Southwestern Maryland outscored the Blazers in each of the first three quarters, but still only held a 39-35 lead after three quarters. But Boone put it in gear in the fourth quarter, outscoring Southwestern, 18-10.
The Boone offense was led by Kuhn, who scored 14 points in the game. Tyler Dorang and Ian Rathgeb each netted 10 points for the winners, while Michael Dabney and Okuniewski each had five points.
The Lady Blazers opened the season Dec. 5 at home against Cedar Cliff. The Lady Blazers used a 21-point second quarter to defeat their guests, 65-60.
Cedar Cliff held an 18-14 lead after one quarter, but Boone came back to outscore Cedar Cliff in the second quarter, 21-12, and the third, 15-8. Cedar Cliff scored 22 points in the final quarter, but could not come all the way back.
Steph Sievers led the Daniel Boone offense with 19 points in the game. Kaitlyn Keeley netted 17 points and Alayna Roesener scored 12. Shelby Vanderslice chipped in with five points.
On Dec. 6, Daniel Boone traveled to West York and came home with a 60-32 loss. West York was off to a good start, taking a 15-3 lead after one quarter. They increased the lead to 17 after three quarters, then outscored the Lady Blazers in the final period, 20-9.
Alyssa Garner led the locals with 10 points in the contest. Sievers netted nine while Sydney Hayes scored seven and Keeley added five.
