Boys Basketball Wrap-Up: 1/15-1/21

February 27th, 2016

Final score: 61-60

One more basket for Trumansburg would have meant a Section IV title. The sectional final last year still haunts some members of the Trumansburg basketball community, and any game between the Blue Raiders and Moravia Blue Devils is circled on every fan’s calendar. Tuesday night found boys’ basketball teams in Moravia, with the JV team looking for their fourth win of the season and the varsity squad looking forward to a rematch of that fated sectional game. In the end neither squad could pull away with a victory.

In the JV game, a last second shot by Dre Capers sent the game into overtime, but the Moravia team opened the overtime period with a 6-0 run, which would be too much for for the young Raiders team to overcome. However, the JV team would bounce back from Tuesday’s loss at home Friday evening when they captured a much needed win against the Dryden Purple Lions , 48-45. The win did cost the team however, as sophomore point-guard Josiah Lopez injured his hip in the third quarter, though not before scoring 16 points. Lopez will be out for a few days but is eager to return to his team sometime this week. Jack Lincoln and Kameron Lincoln combined for 17 points as the Raiders would squeak out what the players described as "a big win" for their head coach, Coach Meyers.

If you have ever been in Moravia for a varsity basketball game, you understand what kind of environment the Moravia community creates on any given game night. This was the case on Tuesday night, when the 11-0 varsity Raiders rolled into town and entered in a gym full of passionate fans. The game started very slowly for the team, as Moravia jumped out to a 11-1 lead early on. At half, the score was 27-14 Moravia, in a very sloppy display of offense from both sides. The second half brought much better offense but the Trumansburg side could not overtake the patient Moravia side. Austin Grunder finished with 21, and Jake Shelley and Dalton Kenney added six apiece. The Raiders will get another shot at Moravia in a few weeks.

Looking to recover from their first loss of the season, the Raiders were shorthanded going into their Friday night game against Dryden. Junior Jake Shelley was out (illness) and Zeb Whitford was scheduled to arrive late. The absence of these two Trumansburg big men did not end up hurting the team, as Austin Grunder and his team scorched the Purple Lions. Grunder ended up with 38 points and was complimented by junior sharpshooter Dalton Kenney, who added 10. Luke Richards contributed 16 points, demonstrating the threat that he can be on offense. Next up for the Raiders is Newark Valley at home on Tuesday and a matchup at Groton on Friday night. Go Raiders!