The Hutto eighth-grade Tigers opened their basketball season with an impressive 58-34 victory over the Seminole County eighth-grade Indians Wednesday at Bynes-Greenlee Gymnasium.

In the girls game, the Lady Tigers bowed 58-7 to the Lady Indians.

The Tigers were led Wednesday by Phillip Bowen with a game-high 16 points. They took command early, scoring the first 11 points of the game.

Chris Madge put them up 2-0 with a driving layup off the left glass with 4:42 left in the first quarter. The lead quickly jumped to 6-0 when Bowen hit consecutive driving layups off the left glass at the 4:21 and 3:42 marks.

Mike Jones’ driving layup off the left glass at the 2:45 mark and three-point jumper from the right side at the 1:55 mark quickly made it 11-0.

The Indians finally broke the scoring ice and cut it to 11-2 when Jamarkus Gray hit a layup off the right glass at the 1:26 mark. Tiger Javen Sanders hit a jumper from the foul line at the 1:14 mark to increase the advantage 13-2 and conclude the first quarter scoring.

The Lady Tigers trailed 12-0 at the end of the first quarter and 29-4 at halftime. Their four second-quarter points were scored by Dixie Landy, who hit a jumper from the right side at the 5-minute mark to cut it to nine, at 13-4, and Tiera Adams, who hit a layup off the right glass at the 4:23 mark to keep the deficit at nine, at 15-6.

The final three Lady Tigers points of the day came on a free throw by Landy and a field goal by Brandi Anthony in the third quarter.