ARBUCKLE — Brody Breeden's 26 points powered the Middletown Mustangs to a 59-45 win over Pioneer High School of Woodland in the opening round of the Pierce Tournament on Wednesday night in Arbuckle.

It also was the season opener for head coach G.J. Rockwell's squad, which last played a game in February of 2020 after losing the entire 2020-21 season to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We played a little erratic, but it was our first game," Rockwell said.

Rockwell has had his full team out only a short time because of the Mustangs' participation in the North Coast Section football playoffs, pretty much an annual occurrence for the veteran coach.

Middletown (1-0) led 19-11 after the opening period but Pioneer narrowed that margin to 37-34 through three quarters. The Mustangs dominated the final period, outscoring the Patriots 22-11.

Cole Ketchum scored 14 points in the victory and Zach Dubois added another eight. The Mustangs won without making a single 3-point field goal.

Middletown plays Orland on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the winner's semifinal round. The tournament runs through Friday.