WARDSVILLE - The Blair Oaks Falcons were just happy to finally be playing at home, but the home court wasn't very welcoming.
Sloppy play cast a shadow over a 54-percent shooting performance Tuesday for Blair Oaks. The Falcons never trailed, yet never felt comfortable in a 64-56 win against the Dixon Bulldogs in their home opener.
"A win is a win, and hopefully we'll learn from it," Blair Oaks coach Ryan Fick said. "I don't know if it was the fact we didn't play in week or it was our first time at home. There were different variables, but I don't think we seemed very focused."
Despite having a deep bench, Dixon primarily used just six players against Blair Oaks. The Bulldogs didn't make their first substitution until nearly 10 minutes into the game and managed to avoid foul trouble, all while taking advantage of the out-of-control pace at times.
"They really had us on our heels defensively," Fick said. "We were trying to stop their dribble penetration. We were getting beat off the dribble, they were constantly living in the lane and forcing our guys to collapse."
Blair Oaks (7-0) started the second quarter by scoring five quick points, extending its lead to 22-10. However, that would be its biggest advantage of the game.
Dixon closed the gap to 23-19 with 2:53 left in the first half. When Blair Oaks made an ill-advised inbounds pass, Fick called a timeout to gather his team.
The momentum didn't turn. Dixon's Seth Parker gathered a loose ball and knocked down a 3-pointer 30 seconds later, forcing Fick to call another timeout with his team clinging to a 23-22 lead.
"I thought we were really lethargic," Fick said. "We had made a couple of mental mistakes in a row. I challenged them in the huddle, I challenged our seniors to try to bring us together."
A pair of seniors soon led the way for the Falcons. Jason Rackers carried much of the load in the third quarter, scoring the Falcons' final six points of the quarter.
The 6-foot-6 center grabbed a steal at mid-court and coasted the other way for a breakaway dunk in the closing seconds, giving Blair Oaks a 48-40 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Once Dixon started double- and even triple-teaming Rackers, Dylan Skinner picked up the scoring. The Blair Oaks senior scored baskets on the Falcons' first two possessions of the fourth quarter, pushing the lead to 52-40.
Rackers finished with a game-high 26 points and added a team-high nine rebounds. Skinner scored 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting.
"Jason and Dylan really carried us offensively tonight," Fick said of his two seniors who combined to shoot 20-of-26 from the field. "Against their zone, when we got the ball in the middle of their zone, Dylan knocked a couple of jump shots down. Then, when they collapsed on him, we hit Jason diving in from the short corner.
"When we got the ball in the middle of the zone, good things happened. But too many times we didn't get it there."
Dixon (2-8) came within two points of the lead late in the third quarter but never got any closer.
The Bulldogs had a balanced attack, led by Marquis Gantt with 18 points. Gavin Barnhart finished with 14 points and Braden Mahurin had a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
"They moved the ball well," Fick said. "They really played within themselves. Guys were taking good shots and they weren't forcing anything."
Thomas Verslues also had eight points for Blair Oaks, accounting for his team's only 3-pointer.
Blair Oaks will host Fatima (4-1) at 8 p.m. Thursday. The Falcons have also rescheduled their game against Hickman - which was slated to be their home opener last Friday - for Jan. 12.