BY JOHN SCHAFFNER

What starts well doesn’t always end well. Such was the case with the Port Clinton Redskins in their 45-34 loss to visiting Oak Harbor Friday night.

The Redskins took an 18-8 lead in the first quarter. That is when the Rockets “packed it in” defensively, keeping top Port Clinton scorers Adam Thorbahn (9 points) and Jackson Beasley (8 points) both under 10 points for the game while scrappy Owen Auxter led all scorers with 17 points.

The Redskins had only one 3-pointer all night long in spite of having a number of good looks from outside the arc.

Jaxson Overmyer and Michael LaLonde scored 13 points each while Ethan Stokes added 11 for Oak Harbor’s balanced attack. But it was their defensive effort that won the day, practically daring Port Clinton to take outside shots. The Redskins scored only 16 points for the game after their 18-point first quarter.