IRISH fans.........The freshman classed opened their season by playing the Westland Cougars on Saturday morning.

Thewebguy was unable to attend but had a more than adequate replacement! Thewebguy would like to introduce to the IRISH fans, "webbie".

Here is the call on the game as witnessed by webbie!

Green was the theme of the day as the Irish freshman boys opened with a 34-33 loss to the Westland Cougars at home.

Not only do both schools sport green as a primary team color, it marked the high school debut for all boys participating. Fans were treated to a close and competitive game.

The game hung in the balance in the last minute, but turnovers and missed shots by both squads left the score tied at 33-33 as the clock wound down. Westland took possession with 10.1 seconds to go on the offensive end and was fouled going for a rebound on a missed trey. The shooter split the free throws with 6.3 seconds to go to give the Cougars a one point lead.

The Irish quickly in bounded the ball and got it across half court before calling timeout with 2.3 seconds to go. Scioto was able to set-up and get a good three point attempt off before the buzzer. It hit the back rim and bounced out.

The Irish broke out to a 7-2 lead and were ahead 11-10 at the end of the first quarter. The Cougars outscored the Irish 7-5 in the second quarter and took a 17-16 lead to the locker room at halftime.

The Cougars quickly built a 20-16 lead in the third quarter, but using good ball movement the Irish were able to take a 24-23 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Four different Irish scored in the quarter -- Brandon Brown, Dylan Coscia, Jerod Nawrocki and Marco St. John.

Although Westland re-took the lead at 25-24 early in the fourth quarter, the Irish went on an 8-0 run to establish a 32-25 lead with just under three minutes to go. The Irish made four consecutive free throws to build the lead, but only hit 1-6 free throws down the stretch as Westland clawed back into the game.

Jerod Nawrocki, who played all four quarters, led Irish scorers with 9 points. Fellow post man Jason Tiemeier scored 6 points, and, contributed a strong defensive and rebounding effort. David McKinley and Rainer Duzan chipped in 5 points each in limited action.

Other Irish scorers were Coscia (3), Brown (3) and St. John (2). McKinley and Coscia each had a pair of assists. Nawrocki took a charge in the third quarter.

Special thanks to varsity players Ben Ashwill, Jake Doherty and Kelly Winter for attending the game. The freshmen appreciate your leadership in the program and support for them.

The Irish frosh will hit the practice floor again on Monday to prepare for a game at Olentangy on Thursday, December 8. They're back home for another OCC Cardinal clash against Westerville Central on Saturday, December 10.