After a couple of slow starts to recent games, the Arlington boys basketball team switched up its pregame routine Friday night.
Coach Tyler Spitser switched up the Eagles' locker room talk before the tip as well.
“We've preached that we've got to win the first 4 minutes,” he said.
And the Eagles did at home against Nebraska City, jumping out to an 11-0 advantage and earning a 61-49 victory. The win pushed AHS' season record to 2-2.
Spitser's squad built its lead on effort plays. Barrett Nielsen scored the game's first two points off of an offensive rebound before Aiden Foreman scored the next bucket on a putback.
Two more 2s and a transition 3-pointer from Colby Grefe later, the Eagles led by double digits just midway through the first period. They went onto a 15-6 lead after 8 minutes and a 31-13 advantage through 16.
Foreman was Arlington's first-half standout, scoring 15 points. The 6-foot-5 senior finished with 21 overall with Dustin Kirk picking up lead scoring duties during the second half. The junior guard notched 17 as the Eagles won by 12 points.
“We know Aiden is going to draw a lot of attention and he's a great team player,” Spitser said. “He knows he can take defenders away from other guys, and we've got a couple of guys who can knock down shots and get it to the rim.”
Grefe scored 12 points with six coming on shots from beyond the arc, but it was Kirk who scored all of his points after the break. He did it by driving to the hoop and earning a spot at the foul line.
“I try not to force anything, but if I see a clear path, I go,” Kirk said.
Ultimately, though, his stat line means little to him in the grand scheme.
“My points don't matter to me,” the junior said. “It's the team win that matters.”
On Friday, Arlington earned its second victory thanks to, in part, a fast start it had been seeking.
