MILAN – Whiteford opened the season with a 38-30 win over Milan Tuesday, kicking off a new era in Bobcat basketball.

The Bobcats broke the game open with a 15-2 run in the second quarter and held on despite being outscored in the second half.

Keegan Thomas scored 9 points to lead the Bobcats. Luke Henegar hit the only 3-pointer of the night for the Bobcats and finished with 8 points.

“We were 1-19 from three and Milan’s size made scoring inside very difficult,” Whiteford coach Jordan Bollin said. “It was for sure a rock fight but I’m proud of our defensive effort and our ability to keep them off the glass. I thought the difference in the game was rebounding.”

The game was the third of the season for Milan, but Whiteford’s first.

The game was just the second between Whiteford and Milan, the first one being in a 1969 Christmas Tournament. The Bobcats lost that game.

It was also the Bobcat coaching debut of Bollin, who has 10 years of head coaching experience between Dundee and Bedford. He is the first Whiteford boys basketball coach to win in his debut game:

WHITEFORD COACHING DEBUTS:

Galeon Bryce, 1957, loss 94-32 to Sylvania Metamora

Charles Batway, 1960, loss 55-43 to Bedford

Mel Hartsel, 1963, lost 84-53 to Deerfield

John Rice, 1973, lost 71-59 to Summerfield

Brad Stevens, 2003, lost 45-40 to Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard

Jim Ross, 2008, lost 77-68 to Blissfield

Nick Abalos, 2018, lost 62-50 to Bedford

Jordan Bollin, 2025, win 38-30 over Milan

GAME SUMMARY

Whiteford 8 15 4 11 – 38

Milan 6 2 6 16 – 30

WHITEFORD: Saylor 2 0-0 4, Andrews 1 2-2 4, Schroyer 3 0-0 6, Henegar 3 (1) 1-2 8, Griffith 1 0-0 2, Thomas 4 1-1 9, Ruddy 2 1-2 5. Totals 16 (1) 4-6 38.

MILAN: Lambers 3 0-0 6, Farmer 5 (2) 1-2 13, W. Kliber 1 0-0 2, Talladay 4 (1) 0-0 9. Totals 13 (3) 1-2 30.