On Tuesday, December 5, the PHS varsity basketball men’s Trojans defeated the Jefferson R-7 Blue Jays 56-41 in front of a packed home crowd.
The varsity game was close through the first half. The Trojans outscored the Blue Jays 17-15 in the first quarter, and the two teams stayed neck and neck for the majority of the low-scoring second quarter until the Trojans went on a scoring run in the final three minutes of the half to pull ahead by nine. The boys came out of halftime and picked up where they left off, ending the game with a 15-point difference despite the game descending into a chippy dogfight near the end.
Coach Conaway said, “I feel like we executed the game plan well and cheated to (their top scorer), which was a big key to stopping them offensively. We just outworked them.”
Junior guard, Carter Whitley was the leading scorer, racking up 28 total points, including four three-pointers and hitting eight of his nine attempted free throws. Senior guard Gabe Brawley had 2 steals and 12 points, four of which were free throws in the fourth quarter. Senior Center Zeke Sisk also led the team in rebounds with 9 total.
Whitley said, “We worked hard and rebounded good. We can still improve on a lot, so I hope we get better the rest of the season”
Prior to the varsity game, JV won a nail-biter in double overtime. Peyton Rowe was a huge factor in the victorious outcome, scoring 23 of the team’s 48 points. Thanks to made-free throws and a clutch three-pointer, the JV Trojans held off the JV Blue Jays and put on a show for the first home game of the season.
The Trojans next game will be away on the morning of Saturday, December 16, against the West County Bulldogs at Mineral Area College.
