New seasons bring new challenges and while some teams return key pieces, almost all teams must readjust or retool their identities after graduation strikes.

The Potter’s House Pumas were no exception on Tuesday night with the graduation of towering center Gift Okampo last spring and a knee injury to veteran varsity guard Gabby Baez. Despite those vacancies, the Pumas traveled to Muskegon with one thing on their minds: beating the Crusaders of Muskegon Catholic Central.

The Pumas wasted little time, jumping all over the Crusaders with a suffocating defense that flipped into fast break opportunities throughout the night. The effort put the Crusaders down big at the half and things never seemed in doubt after that.

Potter’s House cycled wave after wave of fresh legs onto the court and kept the pressure on until the final buzzer. The Pumas were led in scoring by junior guard, Joy McClendon.