For the Pocatello High School boys’ basketball team, Tuesday night’s season opener against Canyon Ridge was the perfect way to start the season.

    The Indians showed no first game jitters building a 30 point halftime lead and cruising to 63-37 win over the Riverhawks.

    Head coach Lee Ralphs has the luxury of having five seniors in the starting lineup and that experience was on display from the opening tip.

    The Indians used an aggressive, attacking pressure defense to force Canyon Ridge into turnovers. Those turnovers almost always led to easy baskets for the Indians.

    “I loved the defensive pressure,” Ralphs said. “Our defensive pressure was outstanding tonight, we caused some havoc and that’s how we have to play. If we are going to be successful this year we have to cause turnovers with our quickness and we have to get out and run the floor and get as many easy baskets as we can get.”

    Easy baskets came in bunches Tuesday.

    Pocatello had a 22-3 lead after one quarter thanks to the defense that held Canyon Ridge scoreless for the opening 4:40 if the game.

    In the second half the Indians got a little sloppy. The team committed five fouls in the opening three minutes of the half and by the midway point of the third quarter Canyon Ridge was in the bonus and would be shooting free throws the rest of the game.

    “We came out a little too aggressive to start the second half,” Ralphs said of the early fouls. “A lot of them were silly fouls and unnecessary. We will learn from that and hopefully get better.”

    Ralphs plans on leaning on his senior starters Jordon Christensen, Kade Teter, Chris Randall, Tyler Carson and Jake Jardine because they have been through the season and know what it is like to go through a tough season.

    Ralphs also has a deep bench in which all but one player, Jerron Batts is a junior.

    “I have got some juniors,” Ralphs said. “We don’t miss a beat when we put them in he game.”

    The Indians had three players in double figures Tuesday led by Teter’s 14. Randall and Garrett Holmes each chipped in 11 points.

    This year’s team is of a completely different mindset compared to last season’s team Ralphs said. He said that the team is much more positive about everything after struggling so much last year.

    “We hope that this season is a complete reversal of last year,” Ralph said.    

    Pocatello (1-0) hosts Blackfoot Friday at 7:30 p.m.