Photo By Bruce Crawford River’s junior standout Lukas Isaly goes up and over a Cougar defender for a conventional three points play.

The Pilots’ Lukas Isaly surpassed the 1,000-point mark with 33 points in a season home-opener, defeating the Frontier Cougars, 80-36, inside a warm and cozy R.L. Potts Gymnasium Dec. 2.

Neither team scored in the first two minutes of the opening period.

However, Isaly got things moving in the right direction by scoring back-to-back layups off a Jordan Doty assist, and an Isaly steal, respectively, that forced a Cougar timeout.

Frontier knocked down a rebound putback half way through the first period to finally get on the board. The Pilots’ Cody Hupp scored the Pilots next basket off a nifty assist by Parker Caretti to give them a 6-2 advantage.

Frontier scored off an inbounds pass, but Doty swished a three-ball from well beyond the arc, while Isaly added two straight buckets and a free throw to give River a huge 14-4 lead. Frontier closed out the first eight minutes of play with a rebound put-back to end the opening period.

Isaly opened the second stanza with a conventional three-point play, while the Cougars cashed in on both ends of a one-in-one. But, the heads up Isaly tossed the ball off a Frontier defender’s back, and picked it up and scored, while adding a steal and an easy deuce to push the Pilots advantage to 21-8.

Huff then scored a two-pointer that forced another Frontier timeout. At the stoppage of play, Frontier netted a basket. However, Isaly would score another conventional three-point play off a rebound putback.

After a Frontier bucket, Isaly went at it again, scoring his third conventional three-point bucket. The Cougars knocked in the second of a two-shot foul, before sinking a deuce.

Isaly sank the back-end of a two-shot foul before teammate Drew Dietz went the distance off an assist by Huff.

Isaly then sank a lay-in that pushed him over 1,000 points for his three-year career.

Doty then sank his first of two free throws, while Isaac Curtis swished two straight freebies to end the first half with River on top, 37-15.

The Pilots out-scored the Cougars the rest of the way, 43-21, to give River the opening season victory.

In addition to Isaly’s game-high 33 points, he also charted eight steals, handed out five assists and grabbed half-a-dozen rebounds. Curtis followed with 13 points, that included a trio of baskets from beyond the arch, while Doty each netted 10 markers, that also drilled three long range bombs. Dietz hauled in eight of the teams 37 rebounds, while also posted 10 markers.

Caretti and Collins each netted a charity toss, and Daniel Narenjo sank a two-point basket.

Landen Martin paced the Cougars with 11 points.