Trojans start off on right foot

One might be the loneliest number, but at this point in the season, it is a welcome sight in the win column for the Hannibal-LaGrange Trojans’ basketball team.
In the season opener, HLG walked away from Hannibal High School’s Korf Gymnasium with a 65-48 victory against the Culver-Stockton Wildcats.
HLG head coach Jason Durst said that while it had to come under less-than-ideal circumstances because of condensation of the floor at Porter Gym on the HLG campus, an early win like Tuesday night’s victory means a great deal to both him and his players.
“It’s an opportunity for us to build on something,” Durst said. “You go the other direction and start with a loss, you are kind of licking your wounds and trying to figure things out. But we are headed in the right direction. Our guys are doing what we are asking of them.”
The Trojans wasted little time with formalities and took control of the game early. On one end of the floor, the offense found a rhythm and put the ball in the hands of its playmakers, where they lived up to the title. One of the main reasons for the early point swell was HLG’s Brock Webber. The six-foot junior had the best night of any Trojan, going 6-for-14 from the field for 16 points. Webber also had the most success from beyond the arch, netting two treys in seven attempts.
But Webber was not the only Trojan to go into double digits Tuesday night. Gerrell Wells registered 12 points against the Wildcat defense, while Brian Gilbert chipped in an even 10 toward the effort.
Durst said that in the early days of the season, those sort of numbers are a result of what is shown in practice.
“We have some pretty special talent, so it is a matter of trying to find a balance of who gets the touches and when and where,” Durst said. “It all comes down to decision-making, taking the good shots, working for the good shots and getting the right guys in the right spots. ... That’s just a challenge for us as coaches, since we have a lot of depth.”
The offensive effort was not the only reason that the Trojans were able to jump out ahead of the Wildcats so successfully in the first half. Durst said the defensive aspect of the game was a centerpiece of his plan of attack early, given one point in particular.
“Tonight, we had a size advantage and we definitely wanted to exploit that defensively in terms of protecting the basket and rebounding the ball,” Durst said. “I feel like we did that. That’s definitely something we came into the game hoping we could do.”
With a 34-20 lead at the half, the Trojans kept an ease about them coming into the second half. As such, they were able to keep the pace of their game at about the same level, netting just three points fewer than they did in the first half.
It was a different story, however, for the Wildcats. C-SC, which had favored the inside game early, moved to the perimeter in the second half in hopes of closing the deficit.
The results were mixed. While the Wildcats, led by Phil Peugh, scored one more three-pointer than in the first half, the percentage dropped from 36.4 to 31.3, putting the ball more often in the Trojans’ hands.
Part of the reason for the increased number of long-range shots by the Wildcats was because of the attitude the Trojans carried with them in the back half of the game.
“It’s early in the season and you always feel good when you go into the half with a 14 point lead,” Durst said. “I think we just relaxed a little bit and try to coast. And I knew they weren’t going to quit. It’s too early for teams to be at a mentality.”
Even with the win, Durst admits that his team still has areas, such as turnovers and giving up easy buckets, that need work. The Trojans do not have long to make those adjustments. They will jump right back into the fray Saturday night when they host Graceland University for homecoming. The game will be at 7 p.m. at Porter Gymnasium.