FERRIDAY, La. – No opening game jitters here.

The Huntington Hounds showed mid-season form Thursday, defeating the Tallulah Trojans 59-44 in both teams’ first game of the year.

&uot;I told these guys if they came out here and worked hard, good things will happen,&uot; Huntington coach Paul Glynn said. &uot;I was able to play all 13 guys and all 13 worked extremely hard. Any coach would love that.&uot;

Huntington led 11-2 early in the first quarter off of strong perimeter shooting by Wyatt Kemp and Patrick Clayton. The Hounds never looked back.

After both teams emerged from an early second-quarter scoring drought, Huntington led 29-22 at the half. A 12-2 run in the third quarter gave the Hounds a 41-24 lead.

The Trojans fought to within nine, only trailing 53-44 with 1:46 remaining in the game, but senior Zack Brown’s two free throws sparked the final Hounds run that led to the win.

&uot;I love the enthusiasm,&uot; said Glynn, in his first season as head coach at Huntington. &uot;I can’t say enough good things about these guys.&uot;

Kemp and Clayton led the Hounds in scoring with 13 and 10 points, respectively. Junior center Josh Johns added nine.

Derek Busby led the Trojans with 10 points, even though they all came in the first half.

&uot;It’s always fun to win,&uot;&160;Glynn said.

The Trojans’ junior varsity team defeated Huntington’s JV 50-23.