HAZARD - South Floyd faced a tough test in its season-opener on the road Tuesday night. The Raiders faced upstart Cordia and after falling behind early, absorbed a loss. Host Cordia defeated the Raiders 76-36.

Senior guard Zachary Owens led Cordia with a game-high 22 points. Owens was one of three Cordia players to reach double figures in the scoring column.

Cordia, under the guidance of former University of Kentucky Wildcat and NBA player Rodrick Rhodes, owned a double digit lead at the conclusion of each quarter.

The Lions held South Floyd to nine or fewer points in three of the regular-season contest’s four quarters.

Cordia outscored South Floyd 24-8 in the opening quarter and led 35-12 at halftime.

The Lions added to their lead in the second half, outscoring South Floyd 25-15 in the third quarter.

Junior guard Michael Martin paced South Floyd with 16 points. Martin was the only South Floyd scorer to reach double figures. Junior forward Tyler Daniels tossed in seven points and senior guard Weston Little added five for the Raiders.

South Floyd is under the direction of first-year head coach Justin Holbrook. Prior to becoming the head coach of the South Floyd boys’ basketball program, Holbrook spent time on the South Floyd bench as an assistant coach under then-head coach Barry Hall. Holbrook is also a former South Floyd player.

South Floyd will visit Johnson Central on Saturday for another non-district game. Tip-off for the South Floyd-Johnson Central boys’ basketball game is set for 7:30 p.m.

Cordia 76, South Floyd 36

South Floyd (0-1): Martin 16, Daniels 7, Salisbury 4, Little 5, Hall 1, Ousley 2.

Corida (1-0): Chisolm 7, Hill 3, Marc. Nowell 4, Marq. Nowell 5, Owens 22, Rios 3, Tagaloa 15, Warren 17.

South Floyd……84 15 9-36

Cordia………24 11 25 16-76