Like last year, Alpena dropped its first game of the season to the visitors, 69-57, after failing to stop the three-point shot.

Despite the loss, the Wildcats showed promising signs of quickness and improved defense, with a chance to redeem themselves today against Escanaba.

“All things considered, I was super pleased with how we competed and played tonight. This is a massive improvement from last season, and I thought our defensive effort was excellent,” Alpena coach John Pintar said.

From the tipoff, Marquette was off to an incredible start, securing the first bucket and following that with a 9-2 run.

News Photo by Steve Jakubcin Alpena High’s Easton Srebnik takes a shot against Marquette during the Wildcats’ loss on Friday night at Alpena.

With this being Alpena’s first game of the season, settling down and focusing on making the right passes to limit turnovers seemed to be key all night.

Marquette had total control over the game’s momentum until the Wildcats went on a run of its own. Alpena’s 6-0 run sent the Wildcats into the second quarter only down 9-8.

With an incredible defensive start, both sides started to find themselves offensively.

A couple of tough baskets between Tucker Bright and Easton Srebnik led to the Wildcats tying up the game for the first time at 20-20.

Although Alpena kept up with Marquette, Jacob MacPhee found a few last-minute baskets before taking a 25-22 lead in the half. MacPhee ended the second quarter with seven points.

News Photo by Steve Jakubcin The Alpena Wildcats face Marquette on Friday night in Alpena. The home team lost 57-69.

Coming out of the break, the refs issued a technical foul to the Redmen for having six players on the court.

Capitalizing on the free opportunity was Bright, who knocked down both of the free throws, cutting the lead down to just one point.

Immediately after, Connor Cameron knocked down a huge three-pointer, presenting Alpena with its first lead of the night at 27-25.

A few possessions later, Cameron scored another three, tying the game back at 33-33.

The Wildcats continued to fire back and keep up with Marquette’s quick pace, only going into the final quarter down 41-44.

Closing out games in the final minutes proved one of Alpena’s biggest downfalls last season, and that streak continued on Friday.

From the beginning of the fourth, the Redmen began to dominate, ultimately going on a 5-16 run, leaving Alpena devastated.

The incredible defensive promise displayed in the first half slowly slipped away after a few defensive mishaps and an inability to grab rebounds.

Twenty-five points were scored in the final quarter, as Alpena fell in a final score of 57-69.

“Down the stretch, we struggled and were definitely out of place at certain times,” Coach Pintar said. “After falling just short tonight, we’re going to come back tomorrow with even more intensity to prove that we can compete and win a hard-fought basketball game.”

Alpena plays Escanaba today.