Correspondent Photo/Lowell Spencer. Springfield’s Madison Lesnak dribbles the ball up the court Monday night against a Crestview defender. The Tigers won their season opener 59-31.

NEW MIDDLETOWN — Both the Crestview Rebels and the Springfield Tigers are looking to change things as they enter a new era for the 2021-2022 basketball season. Monday night, the Tigers looked to be right on target with a resounding 59-31 victory over the Rebels.

For the Tigers, it was a perfect way to kick off their season. Unfortunately for the Rebels, they drop to 0-3 on the season.

Both teams are looking to play a more up-tempo style this season as the Tigers begin this season with John Matisi as their new head coach while the Rebels look to adjust to life without a talented senior class from last year headed by Krista Perry who graduated.

The style is quite different for the Tigers as they played a more half-court game the past few years. They also have the advantage of having three tall front-court players in juniors Madison Lesnak, Jacey Mullen, and freshman Jameka Brungard.

“It’s a lot different from last year,” Mullen admitted. “We used to sit around a lot, but now it’s 100-percent, and we have kids that can go the whole game and we have subs. It is a big change for everybody, but it’s a good change.”

She added about the height advantage, “It’s pretty big. Most teams aren’t going to have height like that. If you have mismatches, you pretty much have the game.”

“We are doing things a little differently,” Matisi said. “They did some of the same things last year, but it has been an adjustment going from last year to this year. And for being Division IV, and the league we’re in, we are going to be one of the biggest teams around. So, we are going to play that kind of game where we pound it inside and go through the middle.”

The Rebels graduated a talented senior class led by Perry who dominated the front-court for the Rebels last year. To combat that loss, coach Blatch is looking to push the ball more, but against Springfield, the Rebels committed 31 turnovers. Some of them Blatch feels were caused just by the youth of the Rebels team.

“We just got run off the floor tonight,” Rebels coach Aaron Blatch said. “There is no other way to put it. We knew it was going to be up and down. We had a good feel and they didn’t do anything to surprise us. They certainly executed better than we did.”

“We have good leadership on our team, but on the floor, we are kind of looking for someone to calm us down. I think the game is moving very fast for us right now,” he added. “We feel like we are being pressured even when maybe we are truly not. So, we are making some rough decisions.”

The Tigers took control of the game right off the opening tip-off as they grabbed a 4-0 lead and held a 15-9 advantage at the end of the first quarter. They would double-up the Rebels 24-12 at the 4:11 mark of the second quarter following a basket by Mullen. They then carried a 12-point, 28-16, lead into the locker room at halftime.

“This was our first game. We did okay for the most part. The first quarter we were kind of running around like chickens with our heads cut off,” Matisi said. “Once we got it figured out, I feel like it went pretty well.”

When Lesnak converted a bucket and one at the 3:39 mark of the third period, the Tigers held an 18-point 40-22 advantage over the Rebels.

They would stretch that lead to 22 when Mullen converted a Rebel turnover under the basket into a quick bucket with 2:30 remaining in the stanza.

They would lead 46-26 at the end of the frame. The Tigers would outscore the Rebels 13-5 in the final period to reach the final 28-point margin.

The Rebels will host the Lowellville Rockets on Thursday as their home opener. The Tigers will also be back in action on Thursday when they play at Liberty.