Sports
Alexander Boys Pick Up First Win Of Season
By: Josh Vermillion
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The Alexander Spartans overcame the intense Marietta high school crowd and a major size disadvantage to defeat the Marietta Tigers 66-49 in their season-opener.
After some foul trouble in the first quarter, Alexander’s point guard, Jordan Moseley, sank three 3-pointers in the second half, and the Spartans took off after that.
The Tigers would never recover from Moseley’s scoring burst as they didn't re-take the lead for the remainder of the game. Moseley, the only senior on the team, was the leading scorer with 21 points on the night.
“[Moseley’s threes] allowed us to keep that 10 point lead right there,” Alexander coach Jim Keans said. “That could have been a turning point in the game. He’s a four year starter and [those] are the things we expect of him. So that was offensively a big point.”
The pace of the game was amplified at the start of the second half. Both teams used speedy transitions and constant ball movement to keep their opponent off-balance.
And the Spartans thrived playing up-tempo, as they avoided more foul trouble by increasing the amount of lay-ups they took. Junior guard Mason Chapman continually forced his way to the rim for lay-ups and he racked up 14 points on the night.
“We have a nice offense and run some good sets, but these kids are much more at ease and having fun when they’re out running the floor,” Keans said. “We do like to put pressure on the rim…we needed to try to eliminate our fouls or attack them more to get them in foul trouble, so we were able to get lay-ups.”
Alexander’s offensive hustle and shooting accuracy from behind the arc solidified their victory. Although the Tigers had the height advantage and won most of the rebounds, they could not keep up with the Spartans’ quick and aggressive style.
Moseley and the rest of the team were thrilled to start their season off with a win for the first time in two years, but they understand there is a whole season ahead of them.
“We just try to take it one game at a time,” Moseley said. “Tomorrow we’ve got practice and then we’ve got our first home game, so that’s up next.”
Alexander faces Huntington on Tuesday, Dec. 9.