Boys’ basketball defeats Windsor 52-50 in the first round of the 4A state playoffs.
The boys’ basketball team won a very competitive game on Friday night, defeating the Wizards of Windsor in a hard fought battle. TJ had a great start, as they led by a score of 20-18 at the end of the first quarter. The Spartans were able to keep the scoring up, and entered the locker room at halftime leading by a score of 32-27. However, The Wizards answered back, and by the end of the 3rd quarter, the game was all tied up at 40.
The Spartans were really able to clamp down on defense, as they held the Wizards to a game low of 10 points in the 4th quarter, and thus were able to escape with a win by a final score of 52-50. The Spartans enjoyed the home-court advantage they received, due to their record in the regular season. The TJ students in the stands really got into the game, and that momentum and support got the players energized, as it was a driving factor in Friday’s game. “The first round has always been tough for us, and the home court helped,” Head Coach Grant Laman stated. As far as scoring was concerned, TJ’s leading man was Sophomore Billy Sprague who scored 20 points. Sophomore forward Chris Carter also scored 9 points of his own. Windsor’s Craig Von Allman scored 21 points for the Wizards; however, that did not slow down the Spartans. One thing that did limit the boys, though, was their below average free throw shooting. TJ shot just 47% from the line, converting on just 10 of 21 attempts.
Nonetheless, TJ has advanced to the second round of the playoffs and will take on the Widefield Gladiators at 12:00 on Friday (March 7tj). These two teams faced each other earlier in the season, and Widefield got the best of the Spartans, winning by a score of 72-63. “We are happy to advance and take on Widefield, as they have won 23 straight,” Laman said. TJ ought to be excited for Friday’s match up, as they look to take revenge on the Gladiators.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
| Windsor | 18 | 9 | 13 | 10 | 50 |
| Thomas Jefferson | 20 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 52 |
Name Points FG Md 3Pt Md FT Md FT Att FT%
Darius Alexander 2 1 0 0 0 0.0
Derrick Ratliff 3 0 1 0 0 0.0
Ray Riley 7 2 1 0 2 0.0
Billy Sprague 20 8 0 4 8 50.0
Krubiel Workie 7 1 1 2 4 50.0
Chris Carter 9 2 1 2 3 66.7
Shane Oliver 1 0 0 1 2 50.0
Jonathan Lobato 3 1 0 1 2 50.0
Totals 52 15 4 10 21 47.6
