It was a cold, wet but happy ride home for Stevenson basketball coach Ryan Joseph.

Joseph emerged from the Titans locker room dripping wet after having the celebratory bucket of water poured over his head by his players Wednesday after they defeated Eisenhower 51-30 for their first win of the season in the Macomb Area Conference White Division game.

“It’s the first time in my career I’ve ever been dunked with a water jug but it feels good,” Joseph said. “The kids deserved this. They earned that one. They play hard every night. We don’t play like a team that hadn’t won a game. We don’t practice like a team that hadn’t won a game.

“Basketball is still fun for them — most of the time. It’s no fun losing but I give a lot of credit to these guys. They could have thrown in the towel weeks ago, but they still fight. They talk to me about how they can get better. Sports are the best metaphor for life. You’re going to have your down moments in life. How are you going to respond? It shows a lot about the character of these kids.”

Joseph admitted he had some concerns when the Titans lost 72-44 last week to L’Anse Creuse North to fall to 0-13 overall.

“We got our butts kicked last Thursday and for the first time this year I felt like we quit,” he said. “I’m really proud of the way they came out tonight. They responded in the right way. It’s funny how things can change in four days.”

Senior point guard Sam Kashat provided the spark for the Titans.

“We were just trying to get our first ‘dub,’” Kashat said. “We’ve been working hard in practice every day, trying to learn from every loss. My coach preaches energy and leadership and I just try to be a leader on the court.”

“Sam really wants it,” Joseph said. “He’s come a long way. He can take coaching. He wants it. He doesn’t feel like he’s picked on when we correct something. You have to lean on your seniors.”

In the earlier meeting this season, Eisenhower edged Stevenson 63-61 in overtime.

“We didn’t do much different tonight except play 32 minutes,” Joseph said. “We executed on defense without the mental lapses and on offense when they tried to pressure us we scored.

“I hope they learned how to win and we can build on this. If we get hot at the right time, who cares what we did earlier in the season?”

The players are confident.

“It starts from here,” Kashat said.

Ironically, Joseph’s first win of the season came on the Eisenhower court where his father Matt’s Ford girls basketball team suffered its first defeat of the year the night before.

“If we win tonight, I’m going to tell my dad, ‘this is how you do it,’’’ Ryan Joseph said with a smile before the game.

Eisenhower led 10-7 after the first quarter but the game turned in the second quarter when Stevenson outscored the Eagles 17-6.

Kashat, Marko Cindric and Kaleb Miche led the Titans with 11 points apiece. Kashat scored six in the decisive second quarter.

The scene was different in the Eisenhower locker room. The Eagles have struggled with injuries throughout the season, but coach Anthony Muscat was disappointed with his team’s effort in the defeat.

“Injuries can only give you so many excuses,” he said. “You can be injured all day long but you still have to work hard. (Stevenson) played a great game but the effort we showed was awful. It’s embarrassing.”

When told that the Titans rebounded from a similar defeat, Muscat replied, “We’ll see. I told them if they’re not ready to work to stay home. We’ll see how many show up.”

Alex Edgar led Eisenhower with nine points and Trey Richardson scored six.