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ALPENA – Alpena freshman point guard Bryton Nostrant put on a scoring clinic during Tuesday’s Wildcats victory over the Sault Area Blue Devils. In boys varsity action.

Nostrant scored the first 14 points of the contest for Alpena and helped hold off the Sault by scoring the Wildcats final 17 points to secure a 65-55 win.

The victory pushed Alpena’s record to 6-3 and the Blue Devils slipped to 1-6.

Nostrant got the action started for the Wildcats, scoring the first 14 points of the game for Alpena, including a shot from well beyond the three-point line with two minutes left to play in the first quarter.

The Wildcats held a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter of play.

The second quarter began much like the first quarter, as Nostrant drove to the basket and finished strong on a highly contested lay-up.

The first basket scored by another Alpena player other than Nostrant came with five minutes to go in the first half, when Connor Tulgetska connected from the foul line.

There was a constant theme throughout the entire ball game. Every time it seemed as though the Wildcats were going to pull away, the Blue Devils responded.

Midway through the second quarter the Wildcats held a 25-11 lead, but the Sault responded with a 13-0 run, before junior Wildcat Wyatt Srebnik answered with a tough hoop after driving to the basket.

Alpena held a 27-22 lead as both teams went into the locker room for halftime.

The closest the Blue Devils would get to the Wildcats in the second half was two points and every time they got close, Alpena responded.

Nostrant led all scorers with 34 points, including the first 14 points of the game, and the final 17 points of the game to close out the win.

Wildcats head coach Evan Neff spoke about his team’s resilient performance.

“The Sault has a lot of size, which made it a tough matchup for us. That team is better than their record indicates.”

Although it was not the prettiest of victories, Neff was pleased with his team’s toughness.

“It was a good win. It was a gritty battle on both ends of the court,” he said. “It might not be the most stylistic victory, but I am happy with our performance.”

Next up for the Wildcats is a trip to Traverse City tonight to play against Traverse City West. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.

Sault Ste Marie hosts Gaylord tonight at home, with a 7p.m. tip off.