Lathrop’s Justin Neal exploded for all 16 of his points in the first period Monday, making three of the Spartans’ six first-half 3-pointers in a 57-44 win over visiting Pacheco to kick off the Western Athletic League campaign.

“We have had a rough season so far,” Neal said. “And we really wanted to come out with the win.

“Once the first shot went in, I felt like I was on fire,”

The Panthers (0-1 WAC, 4-3 overall) buried five first-half 3-pointers of their own.

“It definitely helps when the ball is going in,” Lathrop coach Robin Hong said. “But the thing about that is Pacheco wasn’t doing that bad from 3-point range, either.”

The Spartans (1-0, 5-9) led by 12 at halftime and 13 at the end of the game.

“We haven’t had a 15-point lead all year, and we really wanted to exceed that tonight,” Hong said. “We have had to learn on the fly, especially with a younger team.”

Joseph Perkins (five rebounds, two steals, two assists) added 13 points for Lathrop. Nicholas Arceo added eight points for the Spartans, Caden Wisnieski (three rebounds) chipped in seven points, while Maddox Ramos came off the bench in the fourth period to add five points.

“This was our first league game, and a lot of people came out to watch,” Perkins said. “I just wanted to keep playing how I play and keep playing good.”

The only lead for Pacheco was at 5-2. Siaosu Vai paced the Panthers with 12 points.

The Spartans travel to Grace Davis on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

Junior varsity

Lathrop 53, Pacheco 21

Shaun Viray led the balanced Spartans attack with 12 points while Adrian Vaye chipped in eight points.