BOYS’ BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : A Freeway League Victory, Revenge Is Sweet for Troy

A mere two games into Freeway League play and Troy’s basketball team already is celebrating victories with group hugs at midcourt.

But Coach T.J. Hardeman was not about to spoil the Warriors’ good time. Not after their 59-55 overtime victory over Sonora Wednesday night at Sonora.

It ended the Raiders’ 13-game league winning streak and also made the Warriors the league’s front-runner. It also avenged a 26-point loss to the Raiders in a tournament this season.

“There were some rumblings that Sonora was going to go undefeated again,” Hardeman said. “It’s not going to happen now.”

Troy (11-7, 2-0) made sure by outscoring the Raiders, 5-1, in overtime. Sonora didn’t exactly help itself by going zero for five from the field in the extra period.

Jeff Sand’s free throw finally clinched the victory with two seconds left.

By outlasting the Raiders, Troy was saved from a devastating loss. The Warriors (11-7, 2-0) controlled the game for nearly three quarters only to nearly hand it to Sonora.

The Raiders appeared tentative when Troy went to a zone defense in the first quarter. It neutralized Craig Clark, Sonora’s 7-foot center, who had scored seven points in the first two minutes. He scored only seven more the rest of the game.

Troy built a 12-point lead with outside shooting, including eight three-point field goals. Greg Abbott’s three-point play gave Troy a 47-35 lead with 2 minutes 40 seconds left.

But the Warriors hit a cold spell, making only three of 17 field-goal attempts during the final 10 minutes 40 seconds of the game.

Sonora (14-4, 1-1) nearly won the game at the end of regulation, but Chad Fister’s three-point field goal came a second after the buzzer.

“We now know this is going to be a tough league,” Sonora Coach Mike Murphy said. “So maybe this is good for us.”