By Jacob Heid

STEVENS POINT — The 2022-23 basketball season started on Nov. 26 for the SPASH boys’ basketball team. The Panthers welcomed Bay Port to Stevens Point a couple of days after Thanksgiving. A close game got stretched out via three-point shooting, with SPASH falling 66-47 in the season opener. 

SPASH came out of the gates with early contributions from senior Arriel Council Jr. He created early offense for the Panthers from the guard position, going back and forth early with Bay Port. Council Jr also had three fouls with six minutes left in the first half, with SPASH trailing 20-25. The foul trouble handicapped the rest of his first-half production. 

The Panthers struggled with three-point shooting in the first half, depending more on getting the ball into the post. Sophomore Grant Chandonais got good looks down low, ending the first half with eight points. Council Jr led with nine points, and SPASH trailed 24-33 at halftime. On the other side, Bay Port relied more on the deep ball. That became the difference in the second half. 

The Pirates kept knocking down three-point shots, going 11-26 in the game. Bay Port senior AJ Lieuwen scored a game-high 25 points, all coming via the three-pointer. He finished 5-7 behind the arc, while SPASH shot 1-11 from deep. They were getting more production from the post. Chandonais finished the game with 17 points but could not keep up with the shooting of Bay Port. Council Jr fouled out with nine minutes remaining, ending his night with 11 points. 

SPASH’s next home game is against Appleton East on Dec. 3.