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The Avon Pirates opened their season with a hard-fought contest on Tuesday night, but came up just short in a 50-47 loss to Corsica/Stickney. Avon battled throughout the night and kept the game within reach until the final minutes. Zander Fathke led the Pirates with a strong allaround performance, finishing with 16 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals. Al’Shamon Gunter also posted a double-double, adding 12 points and 11 rebounds to go along with one assist, one steal and two blocks. Brenson Ratzlaff chipped in 10 points for Avon while adding one rebound, two assists and two steals. Dominic Doom provided a presence in the paint with seven points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Cale Cooper added two points, two rebounds, three assists and two blocks, while Grayson Ratzlaff contributed three rebounds and one assist. Despite the loss, the Pirates showed promise in their season opener, battling until the final buzzer as they look to build on the performance moving forward. The Avon Pirates boys basketball team traveled to Centerville on Thursday night, December 18th where they came up short in a hard-fought contest, falling 55–64. Avon was led offensively by Dominic Doom with 19 points, followed closely by Zander Fathke who added 17. Al’Shamon Gunter rounded out the scoring leaders with 10 points. Gunter also had a strong presence on the boards, pulling down a team-high 12 rebounds. Doom added 8 rebounds, while Brenson Ratzlaff contributed 5. Playmaking efforts were shared by Fathke and Cale Cooper, who each recorded 3 assists. Defensively, Gunter was active throughout the night, collecting 4 steals. As a team, the Pirates shot 40 percent from the field, connecting on 22 of 55 attempts. Avon went 6 of 22 from threepoint range for 27 percent, while shooting 48 percent on two-point attempts (16 of 33). From the free-throw line, the Pirates finished 5 of 10 for 50 percent. Turnovers proved costly for Avon, as the team committed 22 on the night. Despite the loss, the Pirates showed balanced scoring and strong rebounding as they continue to build and gain experience early in the season.