The Troy boys’ basketball team crushed Stillwater Christian, 71-51, in their home opener on Thursday night.

Junior Sean Opland led the team with 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Troy head coach Jerry Mee credited “great effort” for his team’s win. “It was our biggest strength. Stillwater made a run in the third quarter, but the guys held on and didn’t panic,” he said.

Troy doubled up on Stillwater 20-10 during the first quarter, but had a weak second period and went into halftime with that lead cut down to six. They jumped out again with a 20-point third quarter and poured in another 19 in the final period to end the game with a 20-point win.

Mee praised his team’s poise and the effort they made all the way through. “At one point in the third they tied it up with us, but our guys made a little run and hit a couple of threes,” he said.

Gage Tallmadge added 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists, with Brennan Olds adding another 10 points to round out the double-digit scorers.

Adam Tallmadge and Craig Helmrick each contributed nine points, with Tallmadge adding another six rebounds. Kolton Winebark scored eight.

“It’s a good starting point,” Mee said. “One down, 17 to go.”

The team travels to Plains next week for a Friday night game.