Short-Handed Boys Basketball Falls in Opener

It was a hard enough assignment that  had to play its first game of the 2010-11 season on the road against a very talented team, but to make things worse the Bulldogs played this game without four of their starters. Butler head coach Jon Simoneau indicated he suspended four starters prior to Friday's game after they violated team rules.

"We were counting on those four guys, but they broke team rules," Simoneau said. "We had some young guys out there tonight that weren't quite ready to play against a quality team like this, but rules are rules, and we aren't going to break them or change them."

Butler struggled from the opening tip, as Hopatcong won the opener for both teams, 71-39.

The Chiefs started things with a 7-0 opening run. Senior guard Matt Tobin scored eight of his team's first 10 points, nailing his first three shots—two 3-pointers and a layup. With that, he led his team to a 42-16 lead at halftime.

An encouraging sign for Butler was that despite the big deficit and being short-handed, the Bulldogs continued to play hard. Junior guard James Spadaccini led the effort with a team-high 22 points.

"With the inexperience, we came out a little nervous in the first half but in the second half we sold out and things got a little bit better, so hopefully we can build on that," Simoneau said.

However, Tobin and company were too much, as the Chiefs continued to keep the pressure on the Bulldogs on both sides of the ball and coasted to victory. Tobin led Hopatcong in scoring with 21 points.

"We'll get back at it and try and do our thing," Simoneau said. "We got another one on Tuesday and tomorrow is a new day."

Butler will try to rebound against Mountain Lakes on Tuesday in what will be its home opener.