MEXICO - Fulton senior guard Kalin Mitchell put up 20 points Tuesday night to guide the Hornets to a 68-54 North Central Missouri Conference victory over the rival Mexico Bulldogs in their season opener.
Fulton also gave Justin Gilmore his first career win as a head coach. Gilmore had served as an assistant with the Hornets for the past three years under Ryan Shaw, who died unexpectedly back in late August after suffering a brain aneurysm.
In a touching gesture by Mexico, a moment of silence was observed in Shaw's memory before the start of Tuesday night's game.
"It was rough for a while, but these kids have been amazing to watch," Gilmore said of the tough transition after Shaw's death. "They've been resilient in having to deal with something like that. I'm proud of them."
The Hornets raced out to a 20-5 lead at the end of the first quarter and followed up by outscoring Mexico 17-11 in the second quarter to stretch their advantage to 37-16 going into the break. Fulton was outscored by the Bulldogs 21-14 in the third quarter, but still carried a 51-37 edge into the final 8 minutes.
Mitchell was one of three players to reach double figures for the Hornets. Senior forward Deangelo Walker tallied 17 points and senior guard Dearyon Estes had 12.
"We took care of the ball and didn't force anything," Gilmore said. "We were patient and took good looks at the basket."
James Norton led Mexico with 20 points and Cameron Holman contributed 10.
Fulton dropped the junior varsity game 37-35 in overtime. Sophomore guard Trey Vaughn finished with a team-high 11 points.
The Hornets will defend their championship as the No. 2 seed at next week's Montgomery County Invitational Tournament. Fulton plays No. 7 Wellsville in the first round at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.