BOURBON - While the overall series is nearly even, Tuesday evening's high school boys basketball game between Marshall County rivals Triton and Argos was anything but close.
Host Triton, which rose to No. 1 in this week's Class 1A state rankings for the first time in school history, used a 17-0 run that bridged the first and second quarters and defeated the Dragons 56-35.The win improved the Trojans to 14-0 on the season and gave them a 33-31 record in the all-time series with Argos, which fell to 10-5 on the season.
"I told the kids we had to have a good start," said Triton coach Jason Groves. "It was crucial to get a lead right away. Argos tried to slow things down and spread us out. So I told them it was important for us to get a lead, and the guys did a great job of doing that."
They certainly did.
Argos scored the first two points of the game, but the host Trojans scored the final 11 points of the first quarter and the first six points of the second quarter to take a commanding 17-2.
The Dragons finally broke their scoring drought when 6-foot-3 sophomore Scott Sanders turned a steal into a dunk with 3:01 remaining in the first half.
By that point, though, the damage was already done, and the Dragons got no closer than 13 points the rest of the game.
"In the first half, we were patient on offense and defense," said Groves, whose team is third in the state in defense, giving up just 39 points per game. "They tried to spread us out and we stayed patient. These guys work so hard in practice, and it's really paying off."
Argos is second in the state in fewest points allowed, giving up just over 38 points per contest. Triton's 56 points Tuesday evening were the most the Dragons have given up all season.
"We did a good job boxing out and getting rebounds," said Groves. "We were able to get good shots."
The Trojans outrebounded Argos 32-21 and converted 22 of 45 (49 percent) field goal attempts, including six three-pointers. The Dragons were 13 of 38 (34 percent) from the field and had 10 of their shots blocked.
All 13 players on Triton's varsity roster played against Argos, with seven of them cracking the scoring column.
Leading the way for the Trojans was their trio of senior stars.
While the Boston Celtics feature Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, Triton's opponents have to worry about Jake Everett, Troy McIntyre and A.J. Harrison, among others.
Tuesday evening, Harrison led the Trojans with a game-high 17 points, while Everett added 16 points and McIntyre scored 11 points.
McIntyre led the team with nine rebounds, while Everett had seven boards and Harrison had five caroms.
"Those guys are always doing something for us," Groves said of his triple threat. "If they're not rebounding or scoring, they're playing great defense. Everyone on this team understands their role and they play very well together. They play unselfish team basketball."
Junior Joel Meister contributed four points for the Trojans, while freshman Griffyn Carpenter and junior Colton Keel scored three points each and senor Bart Christian rounded out the Triton scoring effort with two points.
Harrison scored three of Triton's six three-pointers. He also beat the buzzer with shots at the end of the second and third quarters, exciting a lively home crowd in Bourbon.
"A.J. did a great job for us tonight," said Groves. "He did a nice job hitting those shots at the end of the quarters."
Harrison's halftime buzzer-beater gave the Trojans a 25-7 lead, while his shot at the conclusion of the third quarter gave Triton a 42-23 advantage.
Scott Sanders led Argos with 14 points, while Steve Sanders scored five points. Ben Gilbert, Drew Overmeyer and Bryant Kuchel scored four points each, and Sam Edmonds and James Rensberger scored two points each.
In the midst of the best season in school history - the previous best start to a season was 5-0 in the school's first year - Groves said his team is keeping things in perspective and taking things one game at a time.
"We're trying to take things one game at a time, one week at a time," said Groves when asked if he talked about the pressure of being ranked No. 1 in the state. "The kids are working hard in practice and we're trying to do the little things."
The Trojans are in action again Saturday when they host Northern State Conference rival LaVille.
