WEST CANAAN — New season, new memories.
That’s Lebanon High boys basketball coach Kieth Matte’s motto for the season, especially after the Raiders had their 2020 postseason run brought to a halt by the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic reaching New Hampshire.
Tuesday night was all about this year, however, as Lebanon opened its NHIAA Division II season at Mascoma’s Edward P. Kehoe Gymnasium. Braeden Falzarano, who missed all but three games last season with a hip injury, led all scorers with 20 points as the Raiders defeated the hosts, 66-51.
“Their last memories are the football game they didn’t play or the basketball tournament they didn’t finish,” Matte said. “We’re working on building new memories. It felt so go to get out there and just play.”
Lebanon (1-0) used a 22-9 first quarter to jump-start its night, and then allowed only four points in the second quarter to take a 34-13 lead into the half. Mascoma’s Ben Seiler scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half as the D-III Royals found their footing. They outscored Lebanon, 36-31, in the final two frames.
Senior forward Calvin Bates knocked down three 3-pointers and finished with 14 points for the Raiders. C.J. Childs added 10 points, Jack Stone added eight and Karsten Hansen finished with seven.
Cole Moulton, Connor Thompson and Cooper Peavey each contributed seven points for Mascoma (1-2).
“In my tenure at Lebanon, we’ve never played at Mascoma,” said Matte, whose in his 23rd year at Lebanon. “It was great to play, but it was definitely weird: no parents, fan cutouts, masks.”
The two teams meet again on Friday night at Lebanon’s Lang Metcalf Gymnasium.