Trojans host Liberty Bell, end night with split victory

Eduardo Escalera lays up a basket after driving passed Liberty Bell, Monday, Jan. 2 in Manson. Escalera led the Trojans in points with 16.

Joe Strecker flies above Liberty Bell up for a lay in attempt, scoring another basket for the Trojans.

Celina Mendoza goes up for a jump shot as a Liberty Bell defender attempts to intervene, Monday, Jan. 2 in Manson. Mendoza led the Lady Trojans in points for the second half, with eight points earned.

Donnie Vanderholm stretches to give the Trojans possession of a rebound.

Kayla Gosvener sinks a three despite Liberty Bell’s defense. Gosvener led the Lady Trojans in points for the first half with five.

Posted Tuesday, January 9, 2018 2:00 pm

Erin Rossell, Staff Writer

MANSON – The Trojans welcomed the Liberty Bell Lions, Tuesday, Jan. 2 for an exciting night of league play.
Boys
The Lions, ranked 0-8 prior to Tuesday’s game, struggled to keep up with the Trojans’ high-pressure defense and fast-paced offense.
Tip-off initiated the Trojan momentum, resulting in a first half full of steals, drives and baskets for Manson. Tight passes and swift plays left the Lions’ at a standstill. With plays like a half-court drives to the basket by Cole Beazley and Eduardo Escalera and steals by Donny Vanderholm, Marco Mendoza and Joe Strecker, the Lions’ scrambled to earn baskets, and eventually ending the first half with a score of Trojans 25, Lions 9.
Second half brought a slightly different scenario for both teams. Manson’s missed baskets and, with Liberty Bell’s increased tempo in the new half, incomplete passing resulting in an 11-point gain allowed for the Lions. Going into the fourth quarter, the Trojans returned to the game with aggressive defense and rebounds from Vanderholm and Ramiro Lopez, and a steal by Escalera resulting in a Trojans basket.
Escalera led the Trojans in points with 16 followed by Vanderholm’s nine. Liberty Bell left the court defeated by the Trojans with a final score of 39-24.
Girls
The Lady Trojans faced the overall 4-3 Lady Lions in an aggressive league match from start to finish.
First half of the game brought an energetic defense from the Trojans, forcing the Lady Lions to earn every basket made. With the Lady Trojans jumping in and stealing passes, Liberty Bell was forced to tighten up offensively. Kayla Gosvener led the first half in baskets with five points, immediately followed by Megan Clausen with four points. Evelyn De Jesus dominated the court in rebounds and steals against the Lions, and after a hard-fought first half, the Lady Trojans trailed the Lady Lions by only five points with a final score for the half of 13-18.
Last half of the game showed more physicality from Liberty Bell as Manson pushed harder to close the point gap. With a rebound from Migali Leyva after a missed shot by the Lions, the Lady Trojans regained possession in the final minutes of the game. However, with a couple of missed baskets in the remaining time, the Lady Trojans remained defeated by Liberty Bell with a final score of 24-33.