NORTH BEND — North Bend won its Far West League opener against Brookings-Harbor 49-23 on Friday. The game gave North Bend some great momentum heading into the unpredictable season.

The Bulldog offense was able to make short work of Brookings-Harbor’s defense, as quick drives and long, curving breakaways kept North Bend under the hoop.

North Bend guards Brooke Davison and Alexandra Mateski showed impressive ball handling as they were able to slice and dice their way through the Brookings-Harbor defense.

“Brooke did a great job weaving her way to the basket,” said North Bend coach Mike Forrester. “Alex also handled the ball real well, she is a great leader.”

Mateski kept her composure and played a huge role in keeping the Bulldogs calm.

“I try to keep our motivation strong and make sure we breathe,” Mateski said.

Davison had a game-high 23 points, the sophomore’s best of the year. She ran circles around the Vikings with her quick-striking style.

“It felt awesome to win the first league game, it’s good for the whole team,” Davison said.

The game was close early in the first half as the Bruins kept the leading Bulldogs honest. It wasn’t until midway through the second quarter that North Bend began to pull away, when young gun Taylor Weidman hit back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers.

“When Weidman hit those 3s, it really helped by giving us some breathing room,” said Forrester. “It was a tight game up until then and we needed her strong shooting.”

Weidman also hit two treys in last Wednesday’s game against Elmira.

She was North Bend’s second-leading scorer on the night with 11 points.

At the end of the half, the gap had opened up 25-13, Bulldogs.

In the third quarter, North Bend started to relax a little too much as Brookings-Harbor matched the Bulldogs’ scoring output 4-4. Forrester admits to being nervous at the lack of energy.

“I think maybe the breathing room from the second quarter might have lowered our energy,” Forrester said.

Shaking off their lackluster third quarter, the Bulldogs were able to regain that energy to outscore the Bruins 20-6 in the final quarter.

Megan Meador capitalized on some slow passing as she had four steals to go with her eight points. Jessianne Heley had a great night in the paint with seven rebounds and four points.

 The Bruins’ leading-scorer was Kara Miller with 10 points. The 5-foot-10 forward was aggressive in getting to the hoop but had trouble finishing. She shot 5 of 14 from the field.

Also playing with a impressive agression was Ashley Juarez who drew the most foul shots of the night but was only able to go 3 for 6 at the line. Juarez had seven points and four rebounds.

North Bend next plays Siuslaw on the road Tuesday, while Brookings-Harbor visits South Umpqua.