LAS VEGAS – Rogers State men's basketball (2-9) opened the High Desert Classic in dominant fashion as they rolled to an 82-63 win over Simon Fraser on Monday to open the tournament.
 
Three Hillcats finished in double figures on the day. Isaac Johnson led all scorers with 14 points along with a steal. Caden Fry added 12 points with two rebounds, three steals and two assists. Rodney Battle put up 11 points with three rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal.
 
RSU started hot as they opened the game on a 9-2 run in the first five minutes. The Red Leafs bounced back as they took advantage of two quick fouls by the Hillcats, making four free throws to cut the deficit 9-6. However, RSU ripped off another 14-0 run to push the advantage back out to 23-6 midway through the half and took their largest lead of the period at 32-12 with 7:30 left in the half. They eventually carried a 44-27 lead into the break.
 
The Hillcats carried their momentum into the second half as they began the period on a 14-2 run to take their largest lead of the game at 58-29 just over five minutes in. SFU slowly began to cut into the deficit and managed to get the margin under 20 points with just under three minutes left in the game at 78-59. They fought to get the lead down to 79-63, but a three pointer from Griffin Rogers with 27 seconds left gave RSU the 82-63 victory.
 
The Hillcats will be back in action tomorrow with their final game of the High Desert Classic as they face off against No. 5 West Texas A&M. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. central time.