Spartan Hoops Suffer Tough Loss at GW

The TJ Basketball team loses to George Washington High School on Friday, January 21^st.

Photo by Mia Nogueira

The Spartan Basketball team went toe-to-toe with tough 5A rival George Washington Patriots and couldn’t walk away with the W, losing with a score of 60-48.

The Spartans took on the Patriots at GW looking to top the 5A DPL giants in their own backyard. Anticipation and spirits were high for this game on both sides, and the Spartan fans packed into GW’s gym rowdier and louder than ever. At the beginning of the game, the scoring was fairly back and forth, and at half the Patriots had the edge with a leading score of 27-18. The Spartans had good movement around the court, but were unable to penetrate with the pass to the paint and were forced out of their game into taking a lot of outside shots. “We had a tough time getting the ball out of the perimeter and had to force up bad shots sometimes, which led to too many turnovers,” said Senior Ian Melnicoe.

In the second half, TJ made a noble run at climbing their way back into the game, but were unable to surmount George’s lead, falling short by 12 points and a final score of 60-44. TJ’s guards were the players who had noteworthy games with Antonio Clark, who drove for some acrobatic lay-ins and precision 3 pointers, and Jordan Roland, who continued his dominant presence around the perimeter and consistent free throw shooting. Both of these players recorded 11 points each by the end of the game.

In their next game, the Spartans stay within their division, playing Kennedy on Tuesday, January 25^th at 7:00 p.m. The game will be at Kennedy, and the Spartans are looking to prove their dominance in 4A as Kennedy is one of the few 4A opponents they will face all year. Make sure to make the drive to Kennedy and catch this one.