Hardwood Heroes Sports
Defense Carries Alexanders to Victory Versus Golden Rockets
By: Kendall Kraft
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ALBANY, Ohio- Despite the Spartans playing without leading scorer, JK Kearns, the Alexander defense held strong against the Wellston Golden Rockets and came out with a 49-33 victory.
After losing JK in the Spartans’ last game and a couple of players that were fighting the flu, Coach Jim Kearns told his team to come out strong with energy early, to adjust to their new lineup.
The Spartans did just that, and came out with a lot of energy to dominate the first quarter, as Alexander finished the frame ahead 21-10. The Golden Rockets wouldn’t go away as the rest of the first half went back-and-forth between each team.
The Golden Rockets struggled offensively to keep control of the ball, which led to more turnovers than shots made. The Spartans took advantage of the Golden Rockets miscues to finish the half 36-16.
Headed into the second half, the Spartans continued to stifle the Golden Rockets offensive attack. Alexander was able to keep their 20 point lead, finishing the third quarter, 44-24.
With the confident lead, Coach Jim Kearns put in his bench to finish out the rest of game. The quarter went on with minimal action, finishing 49-33.
Two pivotal players for the Spartans were freshman Kyler D’Augustino and junior Kaleb Easley. D’Augustino led the team with 12 points and terrorized the Golden Rockets’ guards on his way to four steals. Easley followed with 11 points and was a force to be reckoned with from beyond-the-arch as he shot 50 percent, only scoring two of his points from within three-point range.
With this victory, the Spartans are now 13-4 overall. Alexander will host a tough game Friday, Jan. 31, against Warren High School.