The Van-Far boys looked different Saturday but won like they normally did a season ago.

Gary Filbert Classic Photo Gallery

The Indians played their home opener not far removed from another long football season and had to begin their season at the Gary Filbert Classic against Calvary Lutheran. Van-Far took a wide 25-15 lead at halftime after a four-point defensive second quarter and won 40-33.

Head coach Pat Connaway said Van-Far just doesn’t “have our legs” this early in the season and couldn’t press as effectively against Calvary Lutheran. Eddy Brooks scored 14 points for the Lions but the next highest scorer on their team was eight points from Braylon Schulte. 

“We wanted to make sure we trapped the ball screens and forced it out of their primary ball handler’s hands and rotated off,” Connaway said. We did a pretty good job of that, especially early. For the most part defensively, we communicated and did what we needed to do.”

Connaway said Van-Far didn’t look ready offensively either while being methodical on many possessions. The Indians passed the ball around the perimeter for a while before either taking a shot from deep or throwing a pass inside. Those possessions would be capped with buckets like Kasen Christian beating the first-half buzzer with an offensive putback and Carson Huff hitting a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the third quarter but are not quite the Indians yet.

The Indians had several pick up their second personal fouls in the first half like Gaven Gaston and Pacey Reading. Connaway said this can affect how the offense plays. 

“A lot of that was being tired and not having their legs,” Connaway said. “You have someone like Nikos (Connaway) last year that could slash and get to the rim. Gaven can do that but just didn’t. He did early, and once he got in foul trouble, it was a totally different Gaven. We need him to really put pressure on those zones, and I think he will.”

Gaston finished with nine rebounds and typical scorer Reading had six points and seven rebounds. Van-Far’s scoring slack was picked up by Carson Huff’s 12 points along with four steals, and Evan Utterback’s 15 points and seven rebounds. Utterback was named the Gary Filbert Player of the Game by also going 7-for-10 from the free-throw line on his career-high scoring night, according to Connaway.

Utterback found himself at the line after barreling through Calvary Lutheran under the rim and while fighting for rebounds. The lineman during football season brings a different post presence from the graduated Carter Jennings, who stretched the floor with an ability to knock down perimeter shots.

“Evan is a bull,” Connaway said with a grin. “He wins the ground game. That’s what he needs to do, play without fouling. He is an undersized post so he’s giving up the height, but I don’t know if a post is stronger than him. He was our key. He kept us going, and he got us buckets at the rim and at the free-throw line.”

Van-Far plays at 7:30 p.m. today at Community R-6.