Sports
Trimble Tomcats Pulls Away Late Against Wahama
By: Rebekah Markovitz
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The Trimble Tomcats triumphed over the Wahama White Falcons tonight in their second to last season game. The final score was 76-68, but the Falcons did not go down without a good fight.
Tonight’s game was a true showcase of quality basketball as both teams brought their A games on the court.
From the start, the intensity was high and the pressure was on. However, it was not clear which team would take home the win. Wahama was first to put points on the board off a free throw, and the action unraveled rapidly from there. Trimble fired back and the majority of the first half had the crowd quickly turning their heads from one end of the court to the other. In the first half alone there was 21 lead changes and it seemed the teams were evenly matched.
Wahama scored many of their points on fast break aways from Phillip Hoffman who led his team in total points scored with 21 points. Right behind Hoffman with 19 points was Travis Kearns who was on a roll with three-pointers in the fourth quarter.
Both teams fronted a strong offense, but both teams also fronted impenetrable defense who rarely showed any weakness. Maintaining good ball control, quick crisp passes and well executed set plays was the way to put points on the board. Or, there is the occasional non-traditional way.
With less than a second left in the first half Wahama was leading 33-31, but that all changed after Max Hooper stole the ball off a defensive rebound. The clock ticking, Hooper shot the ball all the way from the opposite three-point line to put the Tomcats up 34-33 at half.
Hooper was not the only stand out player for Trimble who helped the team to victory. Hooper with 15 points was lead by Randy Hixson and Tyler Slack who had 21 points and 20 points respectively. The majority of Hooper’s points came from free-throws, and Slack and Hixson were breaking ankles making moves to put the ball into the basket. Supporting them was Ryan Richards who led in assists followed by Hixsan.
The constant back and forth pattern of the game took a turn about four minutes into the third quarter. The fast-paced game took its toll on the White Falcons and Trimble started to slowly pull ahead. At the end of the third quarter, Trimble was up 11 points at 57-46, but the high energy and aggressive play did not stop.
The fourth quarter proved that Trimble’s gained momentum in the third quarter was going to stay on the court. After a hard fought eight minutes for both teams, Trimble walked off the court victorious.
Trimble will play at Federal Hocking Feb. 17 for their last season game before moving on to the playoffs.