Northwestern’s Alex Miller would lead all scorers in the Bobcats home opener at the Rossville Athletic Complex Friday night, but it wouldn’t be enough as visiting Toccoa Falls College would take home the win, 61-52.

The Cats got within six with four minutes to play. However, Pageland, South Carolina native Derek Westfall would lead the Eagles with 17 points in the win for Toccoa (1-0). Georgia Northwestern (0-1) saw its NJCAA All-District First Team starter drop in 22 points in the 2012-13 hardwood opener. Cats Co-Captain Bud Todd would only manage five points, but rejected four Eagle shot attempts on the night.

“We are taking all of these non-region games this month to really get a feel for who is going to provide the best punch on the court,” said GNTC’s sixth-year head coach David Stephenson. A pair of freshman signees from Sonoraville High School muscled their way to a decent debut. Bobcat point guard Tavish Reynolds and forward Tre Vaughn Bostic each cleaned the nets for eight points a pop.

The Bobcats shot under 70-percent from the free-throw line dropping in 14-of-22 from the charity stripe. “This game was our first real action as a team against any kind of opponent,” said Stephenson. “This next week will be a real measuring stick of where we stand as a team as we prepare for region play come January.”

Stephenson and his squad have until Thursday to assess the season’s first game and layout strategy for their next action, the three-day Welch College Invitational in Nashville, Tennessee. The tournament opens for the Cats Thursday at 6 p.m. against Piedmont University (NC).