It started out with a gloomy outlook for the day, then began to rain inside the Ronan Event Center.

The “rain” came in the form of three-pointers from a group of self-proclaimed “gym rats” who helped the St. Regis Tigers post an impressive season-opening 63-51 win over a taller, more veteran Seeley Blackhawks team in Montana high school basketball action Friday afternoon.

The game was part of the annual Ronan Tip-off event that featured 16 boys and 16 girls basketball teams from throughout the area in a chance to play actual, non-practice games.

The Tigers vs. Blackhawks match-up was one of the more intriguing games on the Friday schedule, with questions about how the youth-dominated St. Regis team would fare this season.

One of two seniors on the St. Regis team, veteran starter and senior forward Adam Ball was not eligible due to lack of official practice time. Then, as pregame warm-ups were winding down, Ball’s younger brother, starting point guard Caleb Ball, a junior, turned an ankle and was unable to play.

Those events left “leadership” up to the team’s lone eligible senior, 6-2 forward Tanner Day and sophomore guard John Pruitt, a sharp-shooter since he made varsity as an eighth grader two years ago.

The rest of the team would be comprised of mostly freshmen who have developed a reputation as basketball fanatics who play hoops at the school in every spare minute of the day.

That kind of dedication paid off big time before this one was over.

After a seesaw start that left the first period tied at 13 as time was running out in the first quarter, St. Regis freshman Ayden Rael provided the added spark the Tigers needed with a pair of two-point buckets to go with an eight-point effort from Pruitt that staked St. Regis to a 17-13 lead heading into the second quarter.

Pruitt, who finished the game with 19 points and was the floor general the Tigers needed with Caleb Ball sidelined, buried two long-distance three’s in the opening quarter to help offset an eight point effort from Seeley’s Jason James.

With a line-up on the floor that at times featured Day, Pruitt and three or four freshmen, the youngsters proved to be the energy on defense that upset the Blackhawks’ offensive efforts throughout the game.

Day, who led all scorers with 21 points and was the dominant force on both offensive and defensive rebounding, took the reigns in the second quarter, scoring eight points, most of which came on put-back shots under the basket. Pruitt dropped another trey in the quarter as the Tigers outscored Seeley 21-8 to secure a 38-21 halftime lead.

By the start of the third quarter, many of the fans in the Event Center’s main gym had become vocal supporters of the St. Regis young guns, roaring their approval with each steal and bucket.

A timely three-pointer from frosh Dillon Thomas helped the Tigers maintain their halftime lead throughout the third quarter, as both teams scored 11 points.

Heading into the final eight minutes of play St. Regis held firm to a 17-point lead, 49-32.

The Blackhawks’ James tossed in six of his 14 points during the fourth period, helping Seeley cut the lead to 12 points midway through the final frame, but Day and company answered each Seeley run with points of their own, including seven from Day and a rally killing three-point bomb from another freshman, Hunter Stolla that extinguished any chance the Blackhawks had of pulling off a comeback.

Stolla would finish with 10 points for the game on a trio of three-pointers and a free throw as the Tigers won their opening, non-league contest of the year.

Freshman Rael, who saw considerable varsity time last year as an eighth grader, added eight points to the Tigers’ effort and proved to be a quality guard and defender.

“Those guys played their tails off,” said an obviously pleased coach Jesse Allan after the game.