ROSEBURG – Last season the Roseburg boys basketball team struggled to come up with victories when the game was close in crunch time. With most of last year’s roster returning this season, the Indians got an early opportunity to show they have grown from all the bumps they suffered a year ago.

Roseburg (1-0) got a defensive stop with eight seconds left in the game to pull off a 61-58 victory over the Ashland Grizzlies in the season opener on Wednesday night.

Ashland (0-1) trailed the Indians 59-58 and had the ball out of a time out in the half court. As the Grizzlies tried to enter the ball, Roseburg’s Carson Ellis got a hand in the play and knocked the pass away. Ellis tracked down the ball and passed ahead to a wide open Collin Warmouth for an easy lay-in that gave the Tribe a three-point advantage with 2.9 seconds left.

The Grizzlies got a chance at a half court heave before the buzzer, but the shot was off the mark and the Indians prevailed in a one possession game.

Warmouth scored 10 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter. Roseburg built its largest lead of the game at seven points with about five minutes remaining in the contest, but the Indians got sloppy and allowed Ashland to storm back. Grizzlies’ senior Adam Jones capped off a 9-0 run with a baseline jumper that put Ashland back in front 54-53.

The score went back-and-forth from that point, but it was Ellis’ steal that sealed the win. Ellis scored 11 points off the bench. He started the second half for Roseburg after starting forward Luke Lucido left the game due to a right shoulder injury.

Junior KJ Pippa led Ashland with 19 points and senior Anthony Swanson added 17.

Roseburg will next visit the Century Jaguars on Friday night. The game tips off at 7:15 p.m. Tune in for coverage of the game on CBS Sports Radio 1490 The Score or watch online at 541radio.com.

ASHLAND 21; 11; 14; 12 – 58
ROSEBURG 17; 16; 14; 14 – 61

ROSEBURG (60) – Collin Warmouth 23; Ellis 11; Johnson 7; Crince 6; Stone 6; Lucido 4; Seely 2; Medak 2.

ASHLAND (58) – KJ Pippa 19; Swanson 17; A. Jones 8; Saulsbury 8; Ekwall 3; C. Jones 2; Shibley 1