"A Statement Win"

TJ Boys’ Hoop Squad now has a small winning streak at the right time.

Photo by Becca Hansen

After beating Lincoln, 65-53, the Boys’ team was brimming with confidence heading into Senior night against South on Friday.

“It really was a statement win for us,” said Head Coach Grant Laman, “I think we just showed the voters (for the playoffs) what we are all about.” The game was a statement win because of who Lincoln beat the night before: Sterling. Sterling was the dominant team in 4A all year, and Lincoln went to Sterling and beat them. TJ then went to Lincoln and beat the Lancers. TJ started the game very fast getting out to a five point lead in a defensive struggle. Lincoln answered back in the second quarter and found themselves up by two at the half. TJ then took over from there.

“We were able to neutralize their big man all game,” said Laman, “And then we took over in the low block. The biggest trouble came from their forward (Michael Sparks) who scored 21 and their guard (Gabriel Vazquez) who had 18. Other than that, we were solid.” TJ provided a very balanced offensive attack, with guard Jordan Roland being the leading scorer at 16 points. TJ stayed out of foul trouble, and played a clean game most of the night.

The Spartans now shift their focus to the final two games of the season against South and North. The preview for the South game can be seen here, and Laman doesn’t want to lose the momentum. “We don’t want to stub our toe against these final two teams. We really need the wins.”