After struggling in the first half, Lourdes kept pace with Goshen over the final 20 minutes, but was unable to mount a comeback, falling to the Maple Leafs 74-58 to open the Best Western Hoopfest at Gunden Gymnasium in Goshen, Ind.
 
The Gray Wolves shot just 34.6% from the floor in the opening stanza and allowed Goshen to connect at a 57.7% clip, falling behind 39-21 at the break.  The Gray Wolves shot 46.4% in the second half and outscored the tournament hosts by two, but still fell short.
 
"The second half was a lot better than the first," head coach Josh Gibson said afterwards.  "We made some adjustments at halftime which helped.  However, when you go 11-of-25 from the free throw line you're not going to win many games.  It really hurts missing 14 free throws in a game you lose by 16 points.  We also had a few careless turnovers that led to buckets for them late in the first half which allowed them to grow their lead.  There are plenty of things we can take from this game to learn from."
 
Levert Bristol (Dothan, Ala./Northview H.S.) led Lourdes with 15 points and eight rebounds while Najeeb Johnson (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights H.S.) added 12 points.  Bristol made 6-of-7 shots from the floor on the night.  Malik Thurman (Dayton, Ohio/Stebbins H.S.) also finished in double figures, tallying 11 points.  Kris Little (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley H.S.) added eight points and handed out eight assists.
 
Connor Funkhouser came off of the bench to lead Goshen (1-1) with 21 points while Xavier Newsome added 16 points for the Maple Leafs. 
 
Lourdes (1-1) will close out play at the Best Western Hoopfest on Saturday afternoon as the Gray Wolves face 16^th-ranked Bethel (Ind.).  Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. at Gunden Gymnasium.