It was a really bittersweet night in Hopkins Tuesday.

Bitter was the recent news of the death of Randy Winchester, husband of longtime high school social studies teacher. Bitter was a resounding 67-14 defeat at the hands of a deep and talented Wayland basketball team.

Sweet was the turnout and support for the spaghetti dinner to benefit the Winchester family, as the meal, silent auction and even a three-point shootout challenge at halftime exceeded expectations. Proceeds from the shootout alone totaled $1,681, and they will be used the help a devastated family pay for the high medical costs.

The basketball game was a rout from the opening tip between two centers, Wayland’s Zac Nieukoop and Viking Jake Sapp, who both towered over the remainder of the players. Nieukoop was listed at 6-8 in the program.

The visiting Wildcats used full-court pressure defense and a flurry of inside shots to claim an 8-0 advantage with the game less than two minutes old. Hopkins coach Darrin Smith called a timeout at that point to try to stop the bleeding, but it was no use.

Wayland was scoring quickly and often, mostly on easy layups and shots inside the paint. Junior guard Avery Hudson was finding Nieukoop inside and the Vikings couldn’t seem to stop it. And that was not to mention the carnage caused by the full-court pressure, which resulted in turnovers and easy transition baskets.

The Wildcats streaked to a 22-1 lead at the end of the first quarter and though coach Mike Hudson emptied his bench, they didn’t let up, posting a 45-9 cushion at intermission.

Most of the second half was played under a running clock because Wayland had taken such a huge lead.

Nieukoop led Wayland with 14 points, as 11 of the 14 players who suited up scored. Mitchell Dykstra and Michael Velting both had 10 points and Jake Holtz nine. The ‘Cats did all this despite scoring only two threes, one by Justin Kiry and one by Auston Whitley.

Justin Weick had Hopkins’ only three and Sapp scored all six of his team-leading six points in the first half.

So the question is, is Wayland that good, or Hopkins that bad? It’s difficult to tell this early in the season.

PHOTO: The response to the news of the death of Randy Winchester was overwhelming, as huge crowds attended the spaghetti dinner, took part in the silent auction and even answered the halftime three-point challenge.

PHOTO: Wildcat junior guard Jake Holtz (3) scores over Hopkins defender Dylan Pierce(12). In the background is Michael Kelly (5). (Photo courtesy of Kenny Ritz)