The Oak Harbor High School boys basketball team fell behind 10-0 at Snohomish and could never recover in a 62-33 loss Friday, Dec. 16.

The Panthers led 13-6 after the first quarter and continued to pad the margin throughout the game, leading 31-16 at halftime and 47-24 after three quarters.

Oak Harbor coach John Weston said it “was hard to get a lot of momentum” after Snohomish’s quick start.

“We got some really good looks early on, but we were not able to convert,” he added. “We had quite a few unforced turnovers and errors. After that things started to snowball.”

Oak Harbor shot only 31 percent in the game to Snohomish’s 41, and the Wildcats added to their shooting woes by making only 12 of 24 free throws.

Oak Harbor committed 23 turnovers that led to 27 Panther points. By contrast, the Wildcats were able to turn 13 Snohomish mistakes into only 2 points.

“We are doing a lot of things well, but the mental game and taking pride in doing the little things are where we are struggling,” Weston said.

One of the game’s positives, Weston said, was the defense of Ty Baker and JJ Mitchell. The pair limited Snohomish’s leading scorer, Darius Johnson, to just 7 points.

Sophomore Haven Brown scored a season-high 9 points to lead Oak Harbor. Adam Nelson and Ozell Johnson followed with 8 each, while Justin Ellison, Gabe Salinger and Baker finished with 2 apiece. Joe Arinaza and Weston Whitefoot each converted a free throw.

Weston also liked the Wildcats’ rebounding effort, led by Baker with five. Nelson, Brown and Jackson all collected four.

Kyle Sandifer topped Snohomish (1-1, 1-5) with 16 points.

Oak Harbor (0-2, 1-6) was originally scheduled to play Burlington-Edison Monday, Dec. 19, but that game was rescheduled to Jan. 31.

The Wildcats go to South Whidbey (3-3) at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, for a non-league game.