Oscoda and AuGres-Sims opened the girls basketball season with a non-league contest Monday, marking the debut of Gordie Ostrander as the Wolverines' head coach. Heather Patterson (14) and the Owls had other ideas, taking advantage of AGS foul trouble to post a 46-37 victory.
AuGres-Sims' Adriane Swaffield pulls down a rebound against Oscoda.
Brent Baker
Margaret Negro's inside presence proved tough for AuGres-Sims to handle during Monday's opener.

OSCODA - Nov. 26, 2007 - Gordie Ostrander badly wanted his AuGres-Sims girls basketball team to win its opening game Monday, but Oscoda had other plans.

The Owls, long considered an automatic win on most teams' schedules, looked anything but as they built a 16-point second-half lead and defeated the Wolverines 46-37 for their first 1-0 start in more than a decade.

"Our goal this year is to bring our game at the other team, and I thought after the first quarter we did that," said Oscoda coach Chris Manick. "The girls kept doing that even when we got behind. I'm happy and proud of how they played."

The Wolverines' full court pressure disrupted the Owls early and helped them build a 16-12 lead midway through the second quarter. But that pressure also brought with it a bundle of fouls, and the tide turned as Kristin Potenberg, Tonie VanSickle and Adriane Swaffield all picked up their third fouls and had to take a seat.

It got worse when Potenberg picked up her fourth foul and Svanberg her third early in the third quarter. The Owls also switched out from a man defense to a zone, and the Wolverines weren't able to hit from the outside no matter who they had on the court.

"There was enough good stuff tonight to see our potential," Ostrander said. "But we have a lot to clean up. We gave up too many uncontested layups and didn't hit our free throws (11-of-22).

"That, and I should have slowed us down some when we got in foul trouble. But in the fourth quarter we had our chances and just couldn't get some easy shots to go."

The Owls rolled off a a 21-1 run as AGS didn't hit a field goal for 12 minutes of the second and third quarters. Potenberg broke that string with a 3-pointer and Ashley Lynch scored on an offensive rebound to end the third quarter and pull AGS to within 35-24.

Emily Lutz hit four straight free throws to start the fourth quarter, and Svanberg and Swaffield each hit baskets to cut it to 40-32 with 2:15 left. But Heather Spenceley broke loose for a fast break layup and Krystin Inman hit two free throws to put the game out of reach.

"AuGres hung tough," Manick said. "They made us switch to a zone, which we really didn't want to do, but they were killing our 'man.' And they got it together near the end. I'm kind of glad we don't have to play them again. If they stay out of foul trouble it might be a different game."

Potenberg and Lutz led the Wolverines with eight points apiece, with Swaffield and Svanberg each adding seven.

Margaret Negro made her presence felt in the middle all night, serving notice with a baseline drive and layup to open the game and clogging up the middle. Heather Patterson, the Owls' leading scorer last year, led everyone with 15 points, mostly on slashes to the basket from the wing. Negro and Tiffany Rios each added seven.

The Owls faced Hale in their home opener on Tuesday, while AGS hosts Fairview on Friday.