By Gaylen Duskey
realfang@citlink.net
ELLENBORO - Calhoun High School's young and rebuilding team opened the 2010-11 with a lopsided loss 75-35 to Ritchie County Tuesday night.
The Red Devils, now 0-1, stayed close for a quarter trailing only 24-14. But from there the Rebels, 1-0, quickly pulled away.
Ritchie led it 45-19 at halftime and added to that lead as the game went on.
Ritchie County also won the junior varsity game by a 72-34 score.
Senior Bronson Clark, the only returning starter from last year's 10-11 Red Devils and a former player at Ritchie County, led Calhoun with 18. He was the only Calhoun player to hit in double figures.
He was backed by Ryan Slider and Quentin "Q Dawg" Murphy with six each and Tyler Bennett with four and Mason Sheldon with one.
Game honors went to Ritchie's Ryder Bolin with 22 while DJ Burgess added 17, Paige Haught 14 and Andrew Davis 10.
In the junior varsity game Ritchie's Justin Sage came with a few points of matching the Red Devils' total as he netted 31, just three shy of Calhoun's 34.
Calhoun returns to action Thursday night at Wirt County.
The Calhoun Middle School game against Ritchie County was postponed and will be made up at a later date.
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