“You Can’t Touch This!” says Josh Longardner to Wayne Trace’s Alec Vest.
The Antwerp Archers Boys basketball team came off the Stryker sectional victory all fired up and ready to play the Wayne Trace Raiders. The game followed the intense match between Hicksville and Edgerton at the Van Wert High School Facility.
The game began with Antwerp’s Matt Jones grabbing the tipoff, dribbling down court and shooting a 3-point basket. Entering the score was Wayne Trace with 3, 2-point baskets between Luke Miller, Corbin Linder, and Seth Saylor in the next few seconds. Antwerp retaliated and Jones came back with another 3-pointer and the game was tied at 6-6. The Raiders were struggling to get the ball in the basket. Rebounds weren’t much of a problem but the north hoop was not cooperating. The first quarter finished at 12-10 in the Raiders favor.
Second quarter tightened the game even more as the struggling Raiders failed to hit several free-throw shots. Antwerp, meanwhile, was burning up the court with baskets across the board including Brandon Pendergrast making a foul shot after scoring from the key. Corbin Linder and Justin Speice topped the Raiders score in this period. Half-time began with Antwerp and Wayne Trace only one point different.
Wayne Trace’s Ethan Linder gets a basket from a turnover with Antwerp’s Sam Williams attempting to stop the shot.
Third quarter made all of the difference in the world for both teams. The Archers appeared to be fatigued after the first half of full-court press from Wayne Trace. The home team bounced back to their usual self. Ethan Linder’s game had been cold in the first and second periods, but now scored 10 points this period alone. Twenty-one points altogether for the Raiders. Antwerp’s Trenton Copsey had a good quarter in this period with a 3-pointer and a shot from the key. Due to the turnovers in this period, the Archers finished with only nine points in this period.
By the time the fourth quarter came around, it was almost too late for Antwerp to come back. It was Copsey’s best, but the rest of the team struggled to post numbers on the board. The game finished at 63-46 and the Raiders go on to play the Bulldogs in the championship on Friday.
The good news for Antwerp is they had a great night at the free-throw line. Out of 16 free-throws, the team only missed one shot, producing a 94% keeper rate. Wayne Trace will need to improve their attempt vs. made ratio in the coming games. They made only 65% of their free-throws.
Score by Quarter:
Antwerp: 12 14 21 16 = 63
Wayne Trace: 10 15 9 12 = 46
Score by Player:
Antwerp: Jones 10, Mills 4, Pendergrast 3, Williamson 11, Copsey 16, Longardner 2.
Wayne Trace: Miller 11, E Linder 18, Shepherd 6, C Linder 20, Vest 1, Speice 7.
Antwerp congratulates Trenton Copsey and wishes him well in the future. This is his last basketball game for the Antwerp Archers.
