TORONTO — The Toronto boys basketball team took control early against Oak Glen.

The Red Knights built an 18-point advantage at the end of the first quarter en route to a 65-49 victory against the Golden Bears Tuesday night inside the George J. Kunzler Memorial Gymnasium.

“I told our guys our goal was to start off from where we left off in Florida,” Toronto (6-1) head coach Sean Tucker said. “We played outstanding basketball in Florida. We played extremely well. We got the bonding we needed for this team and this group. We wanted to come out and start off where we left off, and we did that. We did a good job.

“We were able to get a good scout in. We were able to breakdown the film. The kids’ scout was almost the same as the coaches. They have a trust in one another and in the program. They are learning to take personal accountability. They hold each other accountable.”

The boys from the Gem City built a 25-7 advantage at the end of the first.

“They’re really good,” Oak Glen (2-2) head coach Jerry Everly said. “You can tell their trip to Florida was well spent. They’re good. They’re well coached. They run their sets. They play hard defense. I tip my hat to them. They played well.

“We have a long way to go. We’re going to bounce back. We’re going to get better. They’re good.”

The boys from Jefferson County extended their advantage out to 43-23 at halftime before taking a 59-38 lead into the fourth.

“We settled down,” Everly said. “They punched us in the nose. They are a good team. We were shellshocked. We fell behind, and we can’t afford to do that. we have to be ready from the tip.”

The visitors from Hancock County outscored the hosts, 11-6, in the fourth to account for the final score.

“Oak Glen is a really good ballclub,” Tucker said. “Jerry does a great job with them. They’re young. They have a lot of juniors out there. They can shoot the ball really well. They are a dangerous team. We wanted to take them out of what they want to do. They have some guys who can really shoot the ball, and we wanted to get them out of rhythm. We wanted to disrupt their shooting. They are a good team. Oak Glen is going to win a lot of games.”

Austin Buchanan netted a game-high 26 points to lead the way offensively for Toronto, Brady Fair finished with 11 and Landon Grimes delivered nine.

“Things are going great,” Tucker said. “Where we are at, is great. These guys are doing a great job. I wouldn’t have it any other way. These guys really are a family. They’re brothers. They get along. They argue together. They push each other. As a coaches, it makes things really easy when they do that.”

Tyler Evans tallied a team-high 12 points to lead the way for Oak Glen, while Will Weekley collected eight.

“They started to calm down,” Tucker said. “They were able to get into a rhythm. We got a little lax on the offensive end and defensively they were able to get some runouts. Our goal was to try and stop them every time, but you are not going to stop them every time. I am real proud of the guys. I am really proud of their effort.”

The game against the Red Knights will hopefully pay dividends for the Golden Bears down the road and in the postseason.

“We play Wheeling Central,” Everly said. “We have some teams on our schedule. We played Toronto. We still have to play Robert C. Byrd. We have to play John Marshall again. We play some really good teams. We’re going to get better. We have the Christmas break now. We have a couple of days to regroup. We have to get healthy. We had a couple of guys out tonight. We will get back after it.”

Toronto is scheduled to play Division III Louisville at 5:15 p.m. Saturday at home on the first day of the annual Todd Kalivoda Holiday Showcase. Toronto is slated to play Big Red at 6 p.m. Sunday in the final game of the event.

“We’re starting to get healthy,” Tucker said. “We’re almost at 100 percent. We want to develop a little more depth, but we are not there yet. We want o get the guys fully healthy.”

Oak Glen is set to play Madonna Tuesday night at home.

“They’re young this year,” Everly said. “Coach (George) Vargo does a great job. We are going to try and play our best. We are going to after get after it.”

Toronto 65, Oak Glen 49

Oak Glen 7 16 15 11 – 49

Toronto 25 18 16 6 – 65

OAK GLEN (2-2): Hartung 2 2-4 6, Kell 2 0-0 6, Knisley 1 0-0 3, Weekley 3 0-2 8, Dawson 1 0-0 2, Hissam 2 2-2 6, Geisse 2 0-0 4, Evans 5 0-0 12, Dittman 1 0-0 2, Ates 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 19 4-8 49.

TORONTO (6-1): Anderson 0 0-0 0, Grimes 3 0-0 9, Joynson 2 0-0 4, Bodnar 0 0-0 0, Winters 1 1-2 3, Buchanan 8 6-6 26, Fair 5 0-0 11, Gibson 1 0-0 2, Close 0 0-0 0, Henry 4 0-0 8, Rebich 1 0-2 2, Barcus 0 0-0 0, Liddick 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 25 7-10 65.

3-POINTERS: Oak Glen 7 (Kell 2, Weekley 2, Evans 2, Knisley); Toronto 8 (Buchanan 4, Grimes 3, Fair)