Boys Basketball Wrap-Up: 1/30-2/4

If anyone reads the Raider Report religiously, then they will remember my summary of the Trumansburg boys basketball program visiting Whitney Point in the first few weeks of the season. In this summary I discussed the hostility that is always present when Trumansburg takes on the Golden Eagles. Wednesday night was no different as both the JV and Varsity game produced a rowdy environment with some very chippy play. Before the JV team hit the floor for their game, head coach Mike Meyers had some incentive for his young team. Meyers said: "I don't consider a season to be successful without a statement game. Tonight will be our statement game, against the best team in our division." Coach Meyers' pregame speech was one that got his players into a passionate state, and had team leaders such as Josiah Lopez and Kameron Lincoln giving out encouraging words to their fellow teammates. The JV Raiders went out against a Whitney Point team and played above and beyond expectations, earning that "statement" win for Coach Meyers. It was an all-around defensive effort as our Raiders held the Golden Eagles to just 35 points. The JV team could not get back to back wins against top opponents, as they lost to the Lansing Bobcats at Lansing. Coach Meyers and company will look to finish their season with two more wins, as they take on Moravia at home on Tuesday and Newark Valley at home on Thursday.

Chaos is one way to describe the nature of Wes Summerville Gymnasium on Wednesday night when the varsity boys basketball team hit the hardwood floor to take on rival Whitney Point. To add even more emotion to the game, it was Senior Night. A big thank you to Austin Grunder, Andrew Stewart, Luke Richards, Mitchell Denman and Jack English for all the hard work, time and energy put into the Trumansburg Basketball Program. The work that you have done has not gone un-noted, and is greatly appreciated. The first two quarters of the game were rough for the Raiders, as they were unable to figure out a way to move the ball and score consistently. The second half was a much different story, as Trumansburg pieced together offensive spurts and eventually took over the game. The seniors had a large impact on the game, led by Austin Grunder. Grunder totaled 29 points and 10 rebounds. Luke Richards and Andrew Stewart had almost identical games with Richards scoring 11 and Stewart having 10 points. Both had 5 rebounds. Defense was a big issue the first half for Trumansburg, but the second half was a much different story as the Raiders gave up just 16 points. The final score of the game was 60-51, as the Raiders secured a big home victory. Friday night brought another huge game for the Trumansburg team as they traveled to Lansing to take on the Bobcats. It was the third and final time the Raiders took on the Bobcats this season, and the Raiders finally found out a way to dismantle the Lansing side. With 36 points from Austin Grunder and 10 for Luke Richards, Trumansburg was able to pick apart the Lansing defense. Not just the offense was clicking but the defense for Trumansburg was on point as well. Led by defensive spark Marcus Harrison, the Raiders only allowed 18 points in the first half. Senior Austin Grunder stated that "practicing hard like we have been and being intense on defense" are the main focal points for the surging Raiders. With the win, Trumansburg captured their first IAC Large North Division title since 2004! The final week of the regular season brings a tough two games for Trumansburg: Moravia on Tuesday and Newark Valley on Thursday. Make sure you come out and support these boys! Go Raiders!