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The Redskins, now 2-2 overall, played well defensively, particularly in the second half, but could not find a rhythm on offense against a talented USA squad

"They're quick and they're a good team," said Sandusky coach Kurt Long, giving USA some due credit. "We struggled in our half-court offense. When we did run, we didn't make very good decisions and threw the ball away."

Sandusky started well, taking a 13-9 lead in the first five or six minutes. The Patriots, though, closed out the first quarter on a 6-0 run to go on top, 15-13.

USA never trailed after that. Senior guard Taylor Cramer sank back-to-back triples early in the second quarter to help the Patriots build a 10-point lead, 33-23, by halftime.

The Redskins' defense did its job in the second half, holding USA to just 18 points. However, they could only counter with 17 points of their own.

The lone spurt for Sandusky was provided by junior center Geoff Sherry, who came off the bench when starter Matt Grabitz picked up his fourth personal foul. With the 'Skins trailing 39-27, Sherry scored eight straight points to pull his team to within six, 41-35, by the end of the quarter.

The Patriots regrouped quickly in the fourth quarter. Cramer canned the third of his four triples in the game and Shane Schmidt converted a three-point play to extend the margin back to 12, 47-25.

The Redskins, who could not find the range from the outside most of the night, did not score in the fourth quarter until the 3:19 mark when Tyler Coats connected on a bucket. They could not get any closer, though.

"We struggled from the outside. We've got to get our confidence up out there and just shoot the ball," said Long. "We play pretty hard - every game we've had , we've played hard. We've got execute, though, and start getting some things accomplished."

Senior guard Derek Neumayer led Sandusky in scoring with 10 points. Sherry and forward Sam Stevens each finished with eight. Cramer led all scorers with 14 points.

The 'Skins are hoping to get the offense clicking this Friday night when they visit Marlette (2-1) for a GTC East opener. Sandusky is hoping to be a title contender with pre-season favorites Ubly and Brown City.

"Marlette's got some athletes. We know they're going to play hard because (Coach) Chris Storm does a nice job with them. They've got kids that can shoot and they'll run the floor," said Long, looking ahead to the confrontation. "For us, we've just got to execute."

Sandusky then takes a break for the holidays and returns to action on January 4 with a home contest against Harbor Beach.