GODDARD, Kan.—
Not to be out done by the girls team, Andover Central boys cruised to a 50-37 victory over Goddard High School. They were more physical, more aggressive, and took better care of the ball than Goddard. Throughout the game, Goddard tried to work the ball down low and get an inside game going, but Andover Central’s senior forward Taylor Lock would not allow that to happen while scoring a game high 14 points. Physically no one from Goddard could muscle up with Lock. No one could stop him from powering through people, then having the touch on the ball to bank it in while jumping over two Goddard defenders.
“He’s a great offensive player,” said Andover Central head coach Jesse Hermann. “He’s hard to stop. He’s a combination of being real strong and having nice touch. He’s tough to guard especially in the 10 to 15-foot range.”
Andover Central simply out played Goddard in every aspect. There was a time when Goddard couldn’t buy a basket…or a rebound for that matter. The Jaguars were beating the defense back down the court and stealing inbound passes. The offense was muscling their way to the boards.
While Lock was the key offensive threat for the Jaguars he also had some help from junior Zach Winter and senior Cole Kretchmar, who had 12 and 10 points respectively.
For Goddard it was the case of schools splitting that plagued the team. The team’s offense rested on senior Alex Shoemaker who only managed 10 points on the night. His only help came from senior Britt Hansen who ended with 5 points.
With such a blowout, it is hard to keep a team focused on their next opponent, but Hermann insists that his team has things to fix between now and then.
“We have a lot of things to work on,” said Hermann. “We had a lot of empty possessions in the first half. I feel we have a lot to work on.”
