Despite a 23-point effort by Brandon Gwinner, the Nooksack Valley boys' basketball team lost its season opener to Granite Falls 63-51 in a non-conference game Wednesday, Nov. 28, at Granite Falls.

"It was a little bit of a rough start," Pioneers coach Tyler Mitchell said in a phone interview. "We are a pretty young team. They put some pressure on us that we didn't handle really well, and we missed a lot of easy buckets."

Nooksack Valley's Seth Taron recorded a team-high seven rebounds and six points, and Conner Beard and Curtis Handy each scored seven points.

The Pioneers host Sehome at 7:15 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30.

GRANITE FALLS 63, NOOKSACK VALLEY 51

Nooksack Valley 9 14 5 23 - 51

Granite Falls 15 14 13 21 - 63

Nooksack Valley: Brandon Turnberg 2, Conner Beard 7, Brandon Gwinner 23, Curtis Handy 7, Bret Rediger 4, Eben Rossmiller 0, Brady Wood 0, Tanner Myhre 1, Josh Gimmaka 1, Seth Taron 6, Aaron Bosscher 0. Team totals: 20-51 11-19 51.

Granite Falls: Leibzke 2, Larsen 22, West 12, Magalomani 2, Benson 15, Elvron 2, Spencer 10. Team totals: 24-53 11-22 63.

3-ptg: NV 0, GF 4 (Larsen 4). Rebounds: NV 28 (Taron 7). Assists: NV 6 (Beard 3). Fouls: NV 16, GF 14 (Magalomani). Turnovers: NV 13, GF 14.