ST. MARYS — A year after finishing as the Class AA state runner-up, Williamstown opened its season on Wednesday night with a dominating 96-37 victory versus St. Marys in what was the Little Kanawha Conference and season opener for both programs.

“We got a bunch of guys we think can contribute for our team. Fortunately, even our young guys, I thought they came in and played with a lot of confidence,” said Yellowjacket head coach Scott Sauro, who watched senior Nate Nicely go for a game-high 17 points on a night when the WHS bench put up 52 points. “They weren’t afraid of the moment. It was a good first game. We still have a lot to clean up.

“Just little things we need to clean up offensively and defensively. We got a really talented young group, but we’ve got a really talented group of older guys, too. Credit to our seniors and our juniors. They’ve been really good leaders as far as bringing these younger guys into the fold. As long as they continue to do that we’ll get the most out of ourselves for one cohesive unit. I feel like so far we’ve been that way.”

Nicely was joined in the starting lineup by fellow seniors Tyler Keiser (two points) and Wyatt Powell, who had seven markers and dished out a game-high seven assists.

Sophomore Cedric Davis finished with five counters and four steals while the other starter – freshman Caleb Atkinson – went for 13 points and tied Dom Strcula with a game-high five steals.

Williamstown's Wyatt Powell holds his ground while defending St. Marys' Roe Maston during the Yellowjackets' 96-37 road victory Wednesday night. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

Strcula knocked down a pair of 3s and had 15 counters off the bench. He was joined in double figures by fellow benchmates Colt Rinard (13) and JP Strobl (10). Strobl grabbed a game-high seven caroms.

St. Marys, which committed 29 first-half turnovers for third-year head man Larry Johnson, had its only lead 25 seconds into the affair when Roe Maston, who led the hosts with a baker’s dozen points, assisted on a Trevor Maley trifecta.

However, Atkinson answered with a 3 from the top of the key and WHS went in front to stay at the 6:37 mark when Keiser found Davis open for a triple.

“I mean they are good. They shoot well from the perimeter,” admitted coach Johnson, who got eight points from Jude Bills and seven bench markers by Chan Wilkinson. “You give them any space and you’re in trouble. We just got to get better. Back to the drawing board, but we’re young and we’re going to be OK. I’m just glad we had that game now.

“It was good for us. Now we know what we need to work on. First game of the season. It’s not where you are at now. It’s where you are in February, early March. They’re good kids with great attitudes. I’m not worried about them putting their heads down and not working. They are going to work and get better.”

Williamstown's Mason Kern misses on a steal attempt as St. Marys' Trevor Maley grabs a pass from a teammate during the Blue Devils' 96-37 setback Wednesday night. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

St. Marys, which had 15 turnovers in the opening stanza and plays Saturday at Frontier, got a bucket from Maston prior to the horn to get the hosts within 11 after one at 24-13.

Williamstown, which doesn’t play until next Thursday when Ravenswood comes to town, put the game away in the second by opening the period on an 18-0 spurt.

Al Schmidt, who had seven bench tallies, assisted on a Rinard trey to get the run started as St. Marys fell behind 45-19 at intermission.

The Blue Devils, who got six boards and three steals from Andre Anderson, watched the visitors score the first 13 points of the third en route to holding a 72-26 advantage entering the final eight minutes.

“That’s how we like to play. We like to get up and down and run. I like to coach that way. The kids like to play that way. It’s just more fun,” Sauro said of preseason No. 5 Williamstown continuing to go with its pressure approach. “For us, we want to have a chance to win our league every year.

Williamstown's JP Strobl dives to the floor for a loose ball before St. Marys' Greg Jemison can grab it during the Yellowjackets' 96-37 road victory Wednesday night. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

“All the games count as one no matter who you are playing in the LK, so we want to make sure we perform well early. I think we did for the most part. It wasn’t perfect, but we did some good things out there. We can keep improving.”

Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com