In a thriller against Austin High, the Trojans pulled out a much-needed win with a final score of 54-49. Last night’s result puts Anderson tied for 6th place in district and in striking distance of 4th place, Dripping Springs.
For over half of the first quarter, the Trojans were locked in a defensive battle where neither team could get their shots to fall, and the Maroons only had a 4-2 lead closing in on the three-minute mark. This abruptly changed in the final three minutes of the first quarter as Maverick Larson and Samir Kassam combined for 9 points, leading Austin High on a 13-7 run to end the quarter.
The Trojans quickly shifted the momentum at the start of the second quarter, forcing a turnover on the Maroon’s first offensive possession and getting a quick three to fall by way of Noah Perkins. Still, some costly turnovers allowed Austin High to stretch their lead to 25-16 with under three minutes to go in the half. Perkins sparked the Trojan offense again with a strong midrange pullup hit and a deep three to help close the Trojan’s deficit to 23-27 at halftime.
Turnovers plagued both teams coming out of the break, as neither team could get much going offensively until Kassam capitalized on a Trojan turnover a few minutes into the quarter. This got both offenses going, as Anderson and Austin High began trading buckets. Another big three from Perkins and some strong drives from Campbell Duncan pulled the Trojans within one with over half the quarter gone. Some missed shots, and more Trojan turnovers resulted in an 8-1 Austin High run, but a floater from Campbell with time running out in the quarter made the score 43-37 Maroons with a quarter to go.
A steal and a fastbreak layup by Campbell started the fourth quarter off right, and the Trojan defense stood firm, not allowing a point for five and a half minutes. With less than two minutes left in the game and the score at 45-41 in favor of Austin High, it became clear that the Maroons were trying to stall as long as possible with each offensive possession, as high school basketball has no shot clock. This strategy did not work as sophomores Noah Perkins and Luke McReynolds applied pressure on the Austin High guards, leading to a jump ball and Trojan possession. Multiple offensive rebounds and a finish through contact for Perkins pulled the Trojans within one score with 1:25 left on the clock. A Trojan turnover and consequent foul put Austin High in the bonus, where Dillion Doubrava went 1-2 from the line, extending their lead to 46-43. Campbell put the Trojans back within one, scoring a bucket from the post, and two missed free throws from Samir Kassam gave the Trojans a chance to take the lead with 42 seconds left. After a timeout, Anderson was down 45-46 with 19 ticks on the clock. With less than five seconds left, Campbell got the ball in the paint, went up, and drew a foul on the shot. The first free throw was nothing but net, and Campbell had a shot to win the game. The second free throw did not have enough on it and hit off the front iron, sending the game to overtime.
The Trojans won the overtime tip, and Jaxon Gill hit a clutch three to start the four-minute period. Another steal and fastbreak layup for Duncan extended the Trojan lead to 51-46 within a minute of overtime. The teams traded free throw makes, but a Trojan turnover led to an easy fastbreak layup for Kassam, bringing Austin High within one score. In the next offensive possession, Jaxon capitalized on a foul by sinking the two free throws and extending Anderson’s lead to 54-49. Although the Trojans turned the ball over multiple times and missed free throws in the game’s final minute, they held strong defensively and were able to keep their lead and win the game 54-49.
The deciding factor in this game was the Trojan’s defensive effort in the fourth quarter and overtime, where they held Austin High to 6 points, allowing for a comeback overtime win. This was highlighted by Anderson winning the turnover battle, giving them more offensive possessions, and shutting down Austin High’s two main offensive threats, Samir Kassam and Maverick Larson. It will take more defensive performances like this for the Trojans to make a playoff push.
Offensively, Campbell had a big game, scoring 23 points off 45.5% accuracy. He was the go-to option late in the game when Anderson needed a bucket. Noah Perkins also was a huge factor offensively, scoring 13 points and sparking the offense early on in the game with his three 3-pointers. Another efficient offensive weapon besides Campbell was big in order to avoid long-scoring droughts.
Anderson has another huge game coming up @Bowie tomorrow with an 8:00 P.M. tip, where a win could bring them into a tie for 5th in the district standings.
