WILDOMAR -- Welcome to the "Revenge Tour" featuring the Elsinore boys basketball team.
Elsinore lost a dozen games last season, but the Tigers already have avenged half of those setbacks just a month into the new campaign.
Junior point guard Kamrynn Nathan matched his career with 35 points Friday night as Elsinore defeated Temecula Valley 82-69 in a nonleague game.
Elsinore improved to 16-0 on the season, with six of the wins reversing results from last season. The Tigers also have exacted revenge with victories over Liberty, Adelanto, Murrieta Valley, Hemet and Great Oak. And Nathan and company hadn't forgot about last year's 91-61 loss to Temecula Valley.
"We really wanted to come back this year and make a little bit of a statement," said Nathan, who raised his scoring average to 26.2 points per game.
Elsinore plays at a fast tempo, and that all-gas, no-breaks approach allowed the Tigers carve out a 26-19 lead after the first quarter. Nathan set the early tone, scoring 16 of his points in that opening period. Elsinore's swarming defense also forced Temecula Valley to turn the ball over nine times.
"We are undersized, so we have to get extra possessions any way we can," Elsinore co-coach Pete Rettinger said. "The kids play with a lot of heart."
Temecula Valley (10-3) stayed within striking distance in the first half, thanks in part to Miles Costello scoring 13 of his 23 points in the second period.
Elsinore led 46-39 at halftime and extended that advantage to double digits by scoring the first six points of the second half. Temecula Valley refused to let the Tigers run away, however. Maximus Goettsche sank his fourth 3-pointer to spark an 11-2 run that cut the deficit to 61-56 early in the fourth.
"It's a very resilient group of players," Temecula Valley coach James Profit said. "Things went well when we calmed down and played under control."
Nathan and Andrew Garibay combined to score 11 points in a span of 2 1/2 minutes to put Elsinore back up by 12 points midway through the fourth.
"We just had to make sure our energy stayed up the whole game," said senior center Nasir Bates, who finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.
Goettsche had 16 points and nine rebounds for Temecula Valley, while Liam Hodgkinson added 12 points and nine rebounds for the Golden Bears. Evan Fratt was Temecula Valley's fourth player to score in double figures (10). Costello registered eight rebounds to go along with his 23 points.
Garibay finished with 15 points for Elsinore, while Jecorey Jones added11 points and six rebounds for the Tigers. Elsinore will look to continue its impressive start and improve to 4-0 against Southwestern League teams when it hosts that league's defending champion Vista Murrieta on Monday.
"It's a great start, but I think we still have a lot to prove," Rettinger said. "It's about improving one game at a time, and the kids are focused on that."
Profit has been impressed with his team's play early in the season, given the amount of change to the roster. Profit's sons, Jeremiah and Josiah, transferred to Rancho Christian, and Fabian Ruiz is now at Murrieta Mesa. The Golden Bears also graduated floor general Taj Jackson.
"It's definitely been a transition," Profit said. "The guys have responded well and are finding themselves. It's nice to see them having some success."
Temecula Valley returns to action Dec. 26 at The Classic at Damien.