The difference between Laguna Acoma and Albuquerque Hope Christian is the difference between kindergarten and graduate school.

That's the gap the Braves of Santa Fe Indian School will jump from.

The Braves opened their boys basketball season Thursday with a resounding 89-39 win over the Hawks in Francis L. Abeyta Memorial Gymnasium, and showed they might be closer to the level of the reigning Class AAA champion Huskies than the elementary level of the Hawks.

SFIS gets that opportunity to measure itself Tuesday when it goes to Hope Christian.

But Braves head coach Ernie Rodriguez isn't about to put too much stock in a November matchup when there are 24 other regular-season tests for his team to take before the postseason begins. Besides, it might not be the last time the two teams meet.

"Whether we pass the first test, the second test still remains," Rodriguez said of playing the Huskies. "We're going to go out the next few days and clean up some of the things we had problems with (Thursday)."

Rodriguez knows what they are, but the first half was an example of the Braves at their best.

Laguna Acoma turned the ball over on seven of its first nine possessions, on the way to 40 for the evening. SFIS jumped out to a 10-2 lead, which turned into an 18-6 margin with less than 3 minutes left in the first quarter and then a 28-10 advantage by the end of the quarter. Laguna Acoma already had 11 turnovers by that point.

In fact, it wasn't until Kevin Cheresposy's fast-break layup at the 5:25 mark of the third quarter that the Hawks had more points (29) then turnovers (27).

It was already 57-29 by that point.

The ball-hawkishness of the Braves led to easy transition buckets, but they also showed great patience in half-court sets. SFIS created nine layups from its offense, with most of them going to 5-foot-8 wing Jamaal Anderson. His broad shoulders and quick flashes into the post led to a team-high 21 points.

Guard Trevor Merhege had 12 and Darron Pedro added 10.

"It feels good," senior point guard Sheldon Tenorio said. "You know when you're moving the ball around, getting good looks."

The rest of the time, the Braves thrived off the turnovers they created.

What also shows is familiarity the Braves have with each other, which is unusual for a team that rarely gets a chance to play together in the summer.

Usually, the players are at their respective pueblos working on their game individually. It usually leads to a growing period that lasts through the first half of the season.

With eight seniors who have played together for two years, SFIS look like a cohesive unit right from the start.

"This year, we've been wanting to get off to a good start," said Merhege, who is one of the eight. "We just want to work hard in practice, get to know each other a little bit better every day."

The one knock Rodriguez could find was the Braves' overexuberance to start the second half. They had four turnovers in the opening few minutes, but Laguna Acoma only hit one of five shots in that span.

"It had more to do with us trying to do too much," Rodriguez said. "Instead of the simple play, we were trying for too much and we got a little hectic."

Hope Christian certainly won't let moments like those pass it by, but then the Braves need those kinds of tests.

And relishes them.

"I am anxious for it," Rodriguez said. "Who knows? We might get beat by 50, but I don't think the kids we have here are going to take a back seat to anybody."

Class will be in session next week.

Contact James Barron at 986-3045 or jbarron@sfnewmexican.com. Read his blog at thereadbarron.com.