Basketball teams win low-scoring thriller over Xavier
Both the boys and girls basketball teams faced off with Xavier in a doubleheader on Jan. 4.
Christian Barnes ’22 and Jacob Koch ’24 celebrate freshman Jack McCaffery’s and-one to give the Trojans the lead in the second game of the doubleheader against Xavier on Jan. 4.
January 4, 2022
Two points.
At first, two points may not seem like a lot. However, even two points can determine whether a team wins or loses — especially in a close game. Those two points are what got both the girls and boys basketball teams the win last night in a doubleheader against Xavier Jan. 4, winning 47-45 and 48-46, respectively.
The girls game started off with Lucy Wolf ’24 driving up to the basket for an easy lay-in. Despite a 6-0 run from Xavier, with help from senior Avery Vest’s three-pointer and junior Anna Prouty’s layup, the Trojans were able to tie the Saints 9-9 by the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Prouty’s layup got the Trojans ahead of the Saints, making the score 15-14 West. Meena Tate ’23 knocked down a shot from behind the arc to tie the score 19-19 with 50 seconds left in the half. With Wolf’s buzzer-beater three-point shot, the Trojans reclaimed the lead 22-19 at the half. A three-pointer from Zola Gross ’23 and an and-one from Tate got the Trojans to extend their score to 32-26 in the third quarter. The Saints cut the Trojans’ lead to four by the 4:04 mark in the fourth quarter. With another 6-0 run from the Saints, the game was tied 45-45. Tate made both of her free throws with six seconds left in the game after getting fouled on her drive to the hoop to clinch the Trojans’ win against Xavier 47-45. BJ Mayer’s squad will face off Waterloo West in another home game on Jan. 7.
In the boys game, the Trojans started off strong with a 10-2 lead with 5:12 left in the first quarter. However, Xavier took control in the second half of the first quarter, taking the lead with 2:52 left in the first quarter 10-12 Xavier. The Trojans were unable to answer by halftime, as they went into the break down 19-25. Pete Moe ’22 led the team with eight points after two quarters.
With about three minutes into the third quarter, Jack McCaffery ’25 hit a three-pointer to close the score gap to 28-29 Xaiver. The third quarter ended with a score of 34-37 Xavier. Successful free throws from Moe took back the Trojan’s lead, making the score 40-39 with 5:03 left in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Jacob Koch’s layup extends the lead to 42-39. Shortly after, Xavier answered with a three-pointer to tie the game once again, 42-42. McCaffery’s game-changing and-one in the final 30 seconds of the game gave the Trojans the lead 47-46. While there were multiple time-outs within the last 10 seconds of the game, the Trojans kept their lead, finalizing the game’s score to 48-46.
The boys basketball team improved to 7-0 in their season and will travel to Waterloo West on Jan. 7.
