Jordan Bolton said he felt very confident heading into Saturday's season opener against Chaska, and the junior's self-assurance shined bright as he led the Eagles to a 90-73 dismantling of the Hawks. 

Bolton, a 5-foot-11 guard, scored 23 points on 9-for-17 shooting to set the tone for the high-tempo Apple Valley offense.

"My team put me in great spots to score and we were really flowing as a unit," Bolton said. "In practice, we go hard and that's why we were so physical in the game." 

Bolton's confidence might be somewhat of a surprise considering he had to sit and wait for his turn on the court behind former Eagles star Tyus Jones, who is a freshman playing at Duke University.

That's not close to being the case for Bolton, who only averaged 5.4 points per game last season.

"It was great, and I got to learn a lot sitting behind (Jones) and watching his game," Bolton said. "We'd go at it in practice too, which helped me a lot as a player."

The most valuable trait Bolton picked up from Jones was leadership, which the Eagles may need with Tyus' freshman brother Tre and new star Gary Trent Jr., who is ranked 20th in the 2017 Class by ESPN, now holding down starting jobs in the Eagles' rotation.

Bolton said he learned from Tyus Jones that being a leader on the court doesn’t always mean focusing on scoring, but also getting players in the correct spots on the floor and getting others involved in the offense.

The play of Tyus Jones and Trent Jr. kept Bolton from logging many minutes last season, but a great summer has set him up to see plenty of time on the court this season, Apple Valley coach Zach Goring said.

Goring also said Bolton is probably the team's best pull-up jump shooter, a shot he relied on many times in the win over Chaska.

"When (Bolton) gets in the lane and goes off two feet, he's about a 90 percent shooter," Goring said.

Bolton said he looks for that mid-range gray area on the court because it's often overlooked.

"You can usually catch the defense off guard if you pull up," Bolton said. "At my height, I can't really go to the rim as much as I would like to, so I've had to develop a pull-up that I keep working on."

Bolton's style fits well in the high-flying Eagles' offense (they scored 58 points in the first half Saturday), but will he be a guy who can score 20 on a nightly basis for Apple Valley?

"That remains to be seen ... with Jordan it doesn't surprise me," Goring said. "He's had those games for us in the fall and summer where he's feeling it and he's pretty efficient, not forcing shots."

Jordan Bolton scored 23 points to lead Apple Valley to a 90-73 victory over Chaska in the season opener Saturday afternoon at Apple Valley High School.

Bolton, a 5-foot-11 junior guard who averaged 5.4 points per game last season, also handed out three assists in front of his home crowd.

The Eagles (1-0) are the top-ranked team in the Class 4A preseason poll proveided by Minnesota Basketball News.

Sophomore guard Gary Trent Jr., was a big factor for Apple Valley. Trent, who is ranked No. 20 in the 2017 class by ESPN, finished with 21 points and five rebounds.

Sophomore guard Myles Hanson had 23 points for the Hawks (0-1) in the losing effort. 

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