Willow Run's Aaron Richmond, left, dribbles past Detroit Plymouth Educational Center's Matthew Miller during the Flyer's 56-54 comeback win.

Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com

The Willow Run High School basketball team graduated eight players from last year's squad. Detroit Plymouth Educational Center doesn't have a senior on its roster.

Wednesday's season opener was a learning experience for both teams.

Thanks to a pair of free throws by DeQwantis Henderson with 4.2 seconds left, Willow Run gets to learn while starting the season 1-0.

As often happens with season openers, both teams had issues with ball control. After trailing by a point after the first quarter, Willow Run suffered through a brutal stretch to open the second quarter, turning the ball over on five of seven trips down the floor.

The Panthers took advantage, building a 32-22 halftime lead.

The stats for Willow Run in the second quarter were grim: six turnovers, only three field goals and 4 of 6 shooting from the line.

"We told our team at halftime to stay patient," Willow Run coach George Woods said. "It's a new team for us, so we wanted to keep it close and we were able to play Willow Run basketball in the second half."