TJ loses to Widefield 84-69 on Friday night to close season.
by Scott Bruskin
photo by Kevin Fleming
TJ could not achieve victory on Friday night, losing to the Gladiators of Widefield by a final score of 84-69.
Widefield opened the game with intense energy, leading by a score of 21-14 at the end of the first quarter. The Spartans could not catch up to the Gladiators as their scoring continued. “We fell behind early. It’s tough to come back on them because of their style of play,” explained Varsity Head Coach Grant Laman. TJ was down by 14 points at halftime (40-26).
Lead by Dion Vaughn who scored an impressive 33 points against the Spartans, the Gladiators had control of the game and never relinquished the lead. Vaughn also recorded 25 points in his first match-up against TJ. The Gladiators had three players who scored 19 points or more, and their prolific offense was tough for the Spartans to contain. “We could not keep them from getting offensive rebounds,” Laman said.
However, TJ did battle to the end, and were lead by Sophomore Chris Carter who finished the night with 22 points, as well as converting on three three-point field goals. Sophomores Billy Sprague and Ray Riley also contributed with 11 points each. “We prepared for them, but their shots were falling and ours were not,” was how Sophomore Billy Sprague explained Friday’s game.
The Spartans have been eliminated from the playoffs, and it has been the final high school season for seniors Jonathan Lobato, Darius Alexander, Derrick Ratcliff, Evan Wilson, Krubiel Workie, and Kevin Barbour. “It is always disappointing when the season comes to a close; we were still successful though,” commented Laman. “Overall we were a really balanced team.” The season did not ultimately end the way Laman had hoped, but it was still a strong year for the team.
On the positive side, the team’s sophomores, three of whom started throughout the year (Sprague, Carter, and Riley), now have an entire season of experience. Laman explained that with the numerous sophomores on this year’s varsity squad, and the fact that JV went 17-2, next year is something to look forward to. “The future looks bright,” said Laman.
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||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
PTS
|
MIN
|
FG
|
FGP
|
3FG
|
3FGP
|
FT
|
FTP
|
|
| Chris Carter |
22
|
n/a
|
6-6
|
100.0%
|
3-3
|
100.0%
|
1-1
|
100.0%
|
| Billy Sprague |
11
|
n/a
|
5-5
|
100.0%
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
1-3
|
33.3%
|
| Ray Riley |
11
|
n/a
|
5-5
|
100.0%
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
1-5
|
20.0%
|
| Krubiel Workie |
10
|
n/a
|
5-5
|
100.0%
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
0%
|
| Darius Alexander |
8
|
n/a
|
1-1
|
100.0%
|
2-2
|
100.0%
|
n/a
|
0%
|
stats courtesy rocky preps
