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Trojans trump Warriors 57-53; Remain undefeated in conference

EAST LANSING – After defeating the Everett Viking 72-43 in a confident win the East Lansing Trojans took a 20-minute drive over to Waverly High School to face off against the Warriors. Playing in another Capital Area- Blue League game the Trojans would be looking to remain undefeated in the conference.

The Vikings, who are on a four-game winning streak have also had an impressive season so far in the Capital Area- Blue League. They sit two spots behind the Trojans in third place with a conference record of 13-4.

Game Recap

Being a cross-town matchup, the intensity was high from the very beginning with a full-capacity crowd before the game even started. Both teams refused to disappoint their respective crowds and came out with high-capacity defense in the first quarter.

After both teams went scoreless for a minute straight, both teams began to see shots fall and it soon became a back-and-forth. The Trojans created some space midway through with a 9-0 run. However, the Warriors were able to close the quarter out with a one-point lead after making a quick run of their own.

Tempers began to flare in the second quarter after the tough defense got too physical and two players, East Lansing’s Jayce Branson and Waverly’s Trey Miller, were both assessed warnings for the extra physicality.

Once things cooled off, Branson began to feed off of the intense moment he was just a part of, scoring five straight points to give the Warriors a slight 35-19 lead heading into halftime.

The Trojans swayed the defensive energy into offensive energy coming into the third as they went on an 8-0 run in the first two minutes of the third quarter. However, the Warriors responded with an even better 10-0 run.

The scoring run from the Warriors had only upped the intensity inside the building and on both the home and visitor’s side fans were already starting to spill out of the bleachers. The intensity at the end of the quarter worked for the Warriors as the Trojans in the last 10 seconds of the quarter let up a lazy inbound turnover to put the Warriors within three heading into the fourth quarter.

“I do this.”

Although this matchup, from the tip-off, had been one of the most intense of the year so far, the first three quarters had nothing on the fourth.

As soon as the whistle blew in the fourth, the Warriors instantly raised the heat to another level with the tightest defense of the night, forcing three straight turnovers by the Trojans, retaking the lead early in the fourth.

This would be the first fourth-quarter lead retake out of seven as both teams continued to go back and forth on both defense and offense.

By this point, East Lansing’s Kelvin Tolbert Jr., who had been having a quiet night up until the fourth, had already scored seven in the fourth, helping the Trojans take four of those seven lead changes in the fourth.

However, the job wasn’t done yet, as the score stood tied at 53-53 with less than thirty seconds left in regulation.

The Warriors looked to go for the finish, but they were rejected emphatically at the rim by the Trojan’s Charlie Baker who pushed the ball up court. Although nearly wide open an awkward angle would cause a miss from the Trojans but Tolbert Jr. was right there for the tip-in to give the Trojans a two-point lead with 12 seconds to go.

If that didn’t secure it. Tolbert Jr. on the next play would use his quick hands for a late steal and dunk to give the Trojans the 57-53 win. After his game-winning play Tolbert had no other words for the crowd besides, “I do this.”

Locked in

After the game, Tolbert Jr. spoke about what he was thinking before his back-to-back plays to help secure the win.

“You know the team told me I had to lock in at the end of the quarter, so I had to just get the ball to myself and get those two easy buckets to get the win,” Tolbert said after the game.

However, Tolbert Jr. would also admit that there was another factor to his performance on the night, and that would be his mother who was sitting in the first row of the bleachers cheering him on the entire game. After the game, the two embraced each other and celebrated the big moment.

“She is at every game for me and it brings me joy and better games for me,” Tolbert Jr. said after the game.

What’s Next

After improving to 16-2 and 8-0 within the conference, the Trojans will have two days of rest before preparing to hit the hardwood again, this time against Holt High School. The matchup between the two schools is set for Monday, Feb. 12 at 7:00 p.m. at East Lansing High School. 

Photos: DeShawn Johnson/ Tunnel Vision Sports

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