After an uber-successful end to the season, the Trojans are set to play Eastview tomorrow night in a tough first round playoff matchup.
Due to the change in Texas UIL playoff seeding, all sports will now be following the D1/D2 method that we’ve seen in football for the past few seasons. This means that as one of the two largest playoff teams in 5A District 24 they will play in the D1 playoff bracket, thus setting up for the matchup with Eastview.
“I’m feeling confident going into the game, and the team has the momentum we need to compete” – Senior Guard Bryant Gitcho
The Trojans are coming into this one at the top of their game, winning three of their last four contests and seven of their last ten. The Patriots are no easy opponent though, with a 25-8 record on the season and a 10-1 record in their last eleven contests.
Eastview is led by senior captain and small forward Terrion Benson who will continue his career at Colorado College in the fall. He recently passed the 1,500 point milestone and has over 1,600 in his career. He’s joined by fellow senior Jayden Prioleau, a 5’10 guard that can score at ease. Prioleau also recently surpassed the 1,500 point mark and dropped 30 against Dripping Springs back in November.
The Patriot’s senior duo can certainly score the basketball so stopping them has to be at the top of Coach Eric Swanson’s priority list. The Trojans simply will not be able to guard either player one on one, so they’ll have to look towards other strategies to stop Eastview.
Terrion Benson is an exceptional athlete, but is only 6’3 and a terrible foul shooter. Forcing him into pour shots and fouling him at the rim has to be a focus for the Anderson defense. He’ll likely be guarded by the bigger Sol Mierzwa, but help side defense on drives is key.
When it comes to Prioleau, the Trojans have to force him to use his left hand and shade double teams onto him on the perimeter. Eastview is going to use ball screens to try and get him open shots and failures to switch or communicate on those screens will get Anderson killed.
Offensively, the Trojans need to be using more ball screens to make things difficult for the Patriots. The high pick and roll with Ben Burris and Mierzwa is a great option, as well as a two man game on the weak side with Donahue or Mierzwa as the screener. Both of those guys would provide the option between a pick and roll and a pick and pop for an open three.
The Trojans simply don’t push the envelope enough offensively and need to look to create shots more often. The ball movement is solid, but if you don’t shoot you can’t score. Anderson’s guards need to look to get to the rim and if nothing is there, kick it out to the corner for a three. High percentage shots and volume free throws can help this Trojan team steal a win against the Patriots.
The Trojans are amped up and confident for this contest with Drew “Air Don” Donahue telling me that “As a team [they’ve] been looking forward to the opportunity to play in a game like this all season”. He commended East View for having “some really talented guys” and “a lot of good athletes”, but believes that “if [the Trojans] bring [their] best and execute [their] game plan, [they]’ll be playing again on Friday”.
It remains to be seen if Donahue is right, but I believe that if the Trojans stick to the keys above, they’ll come out on top in this heavyweight bout at Cedar Park High School. The game tips off at 7PM, so be there and be loud, as the crowd can certainly affect the game.
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