SAULT STE. MARIE–A slow start hurt the Alpena boys basketball team’s chances to win on Thursday as the Wildcats lost 56-49 to Sault Ste. Marie.

Alpena (2-4) trailed 13-9 after the first quarter and 23-18 at halftime. Alpena outscored the Blue Devils 31-23 in the second half, but the first half sluggishness hurt them down the stretch.

“We struggled out of the gate. We had lots of turnovers, especially in the first half,” Alpena coach John Pintar said. “In the second half we did really well, we outplayed them and played more effectively. But we had too many mistakes and too many turnovers that they took advantage of.”

Chris DeRocher led Alpena with 27 points and Cam DeCaire added 12. Brandon Paul led Sault with 19 points.

Alpena’s JV team won 61-26. Haydn Goebel, Clay Donajkowski and Kayden Wisniewski each had 12 points for the Wildcats.

Alpena’s freshman team won 38-28. Kelly Stark led Alpena with 20 points and Tyler Dickinson added six.

Alpena plays at Traverse City Central on Tuesday.