Anderson basketball held senior night on Tuesday against Crockett as six senior Trojans stepped onto the court for their final regular season game. As expected, it was a bittersweet day for fans and players alike, but a 43-36 victory over the Cougars is a fantastic way for the seniors to go out, not to mention a playoff bid after missing the postseason last winter.
Coach Eric Swanson went with all seniors to start the game in Josh Lieberman, Bryant Gitcho, Ty Donelson, Jason Smith, and Sol Mierzwa. The lone senior who did not start was Drew “Air Don” Donahue, a regular starter for the Trojans.
Drew told me that “it didn’t really hit [him] until after the game that [he] wouldn’t be playing in this gym again the rest of his life” and that it’s “Pretty crazy to think [the seniors are] almost done for good after all the work [they’ve] put in”. He added that putting “Class of 2025 up on the playoff board” has always been the group’s goal over the past 4 years and that they’re going to “push it as far as [they] can” the rest of the way.
Mierzwa won the opening tip and a put back layup by Smith put Anderson up 2-0 on the first possession of the game. Surprisingly though, it was the Cougars who got out to the hotter start at the “Madhouse on Mesa” hitting several early threes and putting pressure on the Trojans early.
Thankfully the Trojans were able to step up defensively and shut down the Cougars while beginning to hit some of their own shots, taking a five point lead into the half. A solid second half allowed the Trojans to stretch their lead to seven closing out the season with a big win.
Forwards Smith and Mierzwa led the scoring for the Trojans with 12 a piece against Crockett, with several other players providing between 2 and 4 points to round out the scoring. Sophomore Will McElvaney had a big five points—including the team’s only three point make—and really impressed me with his length and athleticism.
On the boards it was Smith and Mierzwa who dominated as well with 9 and 15 respectively. Mierzwa’s double double was an all time performance from the senior and really carried the Trojans to victory.
The Trojans best ball handler was Ben Burris who dished out 3 of the team’s 8 assists while also providing very stout on ball defense with 2 steals and 5 rebounds. Additionally, Luke McReynolds added a trio of steals to aid the defense.
Overall, despite a valiant effort from the Cougars, the Trojans were the better team and proved it on Tuesday night. They will now head to the playoffs where they will face Eastview next week in a huge first round matchup.
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