Last night the Anderson Trojan men’s varsity squad faced off against a very talented Lake Travis team. Lake Travis came into the game on a 9-game winning streak which had them tied for first in district. If the Trojans could pull off an upset, it would be huge for their playoff hopes and prove to them that they can play with anyone in the state.
The first quarter saw lots of scoring from both teams. Anderson could not miss from three, with Bennett Blackerby, Jaxon Gill, and Mitchell Whitlow cashing in from outside. Anderson led by two at the end of a strong first quarter, and when halftime hit were only down by 2. The biggest positive for Anderson during the first half was getting four star Hudson Greer in foul trouble. He had three fouls at halftime, limiting his minutes throughout the game. The third quarter started out with little scoring, but Greer fouled out midway into the quarter, creating a huge turning point in the game. The Trojan offense, led by Bennett and Mitch, started to get going, and the Anderson student section was getting louder and louder by the second. At the end of the third quarter, Anderson was up by 7, leading 35-27, but the Cavaliers started to chip away at the lead and were able to cut it down to two with under two minutes to play and had possession. This is the closest they got as the Trojan defense stood firm, highlighted by a strong charge taken by Charlie DeShazo, causing the student section to go crazy, and effectively ending the game. The Trojans hit their free throws to win the game 43-37. As soon as the buzzer hit, the student section stormed the court to celebrate the biggest win of the season with the players and coaches. This game caps off an excellent week for Anderson Basketball and gives them the needed momentum to close out the season strong.
