NEW RICHLAND &8212; The Brian Riley era got off to a positive start in New Richland Friday night as the Panthers&8217; boys&8217; basketball team took down Medford 68-46.

It was Riley&8217;s first game as head coach after working with the B-squad the previous four seasons, and his players made sure his first game was a successful one.

&8220;It was good to get (the win), it is nice to have it over with, but the kids were excited and that is the important thing,&8221; he said.

NRHEG was paced by Brad Kruckeberg who had 27 points getting a lot of his points with layups as the Tigers offered little resistance on the way to the hoop.

Jarred Anderson added 10 points and Blake Kerkhoff had nine to help lead the Panthers with a balanced attack.

Riley said he was pleased with his team&8217;s defensive effort, but said there is still plenty of room for improvement.

NRHEG went into the locker room with a 30-18 lead as the Panthers made a living at the free throw line with 28 attempts in the game.

The Panthers are back in action Monday when they host Fairmont as they look to win two in a row to start their season.