In a battle of new 4A schools, Stansbury came out like a group of seasoned veterans against Westlake in Saratoga Springs.

Thanks to the stifling press of Stansbury, the Stallions were able to jump out to a 17-4 lead in the first quarter. Westlake did recover slightly but could not catch up as Stansbury earned the season opening win 44-25 Tuesday night.

“I love how aggressive the girls came out for their first game of the year,” Stansbury basketball coach Kenzie Newton said. “Sometimes during the first game girls get timid so it was nice to see them come out strong.”

Marissa Robbins fought off early foul trouble to lead Stansbury in scoring with 13 and also pulled down seven rebounds in the victory. Sharon Lyman scored 9 points, with all of her points coming in the first half.

The Stansbury press seemed to shock the Thunder in the opening minutes. A bevy of Westlake turnovers contributed to the huge Stallion lead early. Lyman took control early by scoring 7 points in the first quarter, including a 3-pointer. Robbins and Kylee Harris also tossed in four points in the opening period with Robbins doing her damage down low and Harris hitting a couple of jump shots from the wing.

Westlake started their recovery near the end of the first quarter by countering the pressure defense with aggressive dribbling to the basket. Once the Thunder became aggressive with the ball, Stansbury bailed them out with repetitive fouls.

Stansbury put Westlake in the bonus early but the Thunder did not take advantage because of their abysmal foul shooting. Westlake made only 6-of-21 foul shots in the first half, which deterred their comeback attempt.

Mikayla Bond scored 5 points for Westlake in the second quarter as the Thunder out-scored Stansbury 9-8 in the period. With eight players scoring for Stansbury in the first half, the Stallions still held a comfortable 29-18 lead at halftime.

Both teams came out flat in the third quarter as it appeared that both Stansbury and Westlake were attempting to construct a small building with all the bricks they were shooting in the third.

Only 6 total points were scored in the third with Robbins out-scoring Westlake by herself 4-2. Stansbury held a 33-20 lead heading into the fourth.

After having to sit the majority of the second quarter, Robbins continued to have a strong second half in the fourth quarter as she scored 5 points in the final period in leading her team to a 9-2 run to open the period. After the run, Stansbury held a 42-22 lead and promptly cleared their bench soon after.

The reserves came on in the final three minutes to close out the 44-25 victory for Stansbury.

“It is nice to get that winning feeling in the opening game for a new program,” Newton said. “I get the feeling that the players aren’t out on the court just looking for points, they are working together.”

Stansbury will host their first game on Dec. 2 against Salem Hills at 7 p.m.

Jake Gordon: jgordon@tooeletranscript.com