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By Alexis Strauss

Jumping for the ball, senior Clayton Holmberg begins the game at tip off.

The boys basketball team defeated Gardner Edgerton 88-58 on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at home.

Despite an early 5-0 lead during the first few minutes of the game, the team quickly fell behind and trailed Gardner Edgerton 35-38 at the end of the first half. Senior center Tyler Grauer attributed this to difficulties by the team to keep possession and strong offense by Gardner Edgerton.

“In the first half, we struggled with defense,” Grauer said. “[Gardner Edgerton] worked together as a team and they never quit.”

Although the team had fallen behind during the first period, senior guard Logan Koch felt confident going into the second half of the game.

“Gardner Edgerton was making [every shot] and I knew they wouldn’t be able to do that the whole game,” Koch said. “I felt pretty good going into the second half.”

The team quickly pulled ahead, leading Gardner Edgerton 53-40 at the end of the third quarter. According to Grauer, the motivation to succeed came from a pep talk in the locker room as well improvements made by team members from the first half.

“We started off slow in the first half, but in the locker room we came together as a team,” Grauer said. “We told ourselves we didn’t want to [lose], and we came out in the second half and played better defense.”

In the fourth and final quarter, the Jaguars barrelled ahead with a strong lead against Gardner Edgerton. After two dunks by seniors Derrell McLemore and Clayton Holmberg, the Jaguars eventually defeated Gardner Edgerton 88-58.

“The first half was pretty rough,” Koch said. “In the second half, we came out and did what we needed to do, and it went pretty good for us.”

The team will play its next game against Lawrence Free State on Friday, Dec. 11, at Lawrence Free State High School.