Spartans’ Pierce takes control late to lead EHS boys past Washburn Rural, 53-46
By Michael Ashford
Saturday, January 26, 2008
TOPEKA — Emporia senior Troy Pierce wanted the ball.
He demanded it.
Washburn Rural had just taken its first lead of the second half in Friday night’s game on an off-balance 3-pointer by Justin Werner midway through the fourth quarter, and on the other end of the court, Pierce established himself down low, held his hand in the air and said, “Right here.”
Over the game’s next minute and a half, Pierce was unstoppable, scoring three straight baskets to put Emporia back on top for good, leading the charge down the stretch in a 53-46 victory over the Junior Blues.
“Troy’s a very good basketball player, and he was demanding the ball and showing some assertiveness and showing some swagger, and that’s what we need,” EHS coach Rick Bloomquist said. “He’s got to demand the ball, and he’s got to have a presence.”
After Werner’s shot gave Rural a 43-42 lead, which erased what had been an 11-point EHS lead 10 minutes earlier, Pierce made his first basket of the second half when he called for the ball, took a pass and scored on an up-and-under move around Rural’s Dylan Hungerford that gave Emporia the lead again at 44-43.
After a missed Rural shot, Pierce again yelled for the ball on the offensive end, and after Jacob Torres initially passed up on a pass to Pierce, Torres fed the big man down low, and Pierce shook off his man for an easy layup.
Finally, on Emporia’s next possession, Caydrick Bloomquist drove the baseline and dished off to Pierce, who drained a 5-foot baseline jumper to give Emporia a five-point lead at 48-43 with 2 minutes, 15 seconds left.
“I wanted to step up,” Pierce said. “We needed some baskets, and I felt I had some good looks.”
Rural closed the gap to 48-45 on another Werner basket, but the Spartans closed out the game by hitting 5 of 6 free throws in the final 1:09, with Jacob Torres going 4-for-4 at the line.
The effort by Pierce, who finished 6-for-6 from the field for 12 points despite being in foul trouble, came on a night when the Spartans’ leading scorer, Bloomquist, went just 2-for-15 from the field for a season-low six points. Also, after Taylor Euler went off for 13 points in the first half, Rural made him the focus of its defense after halftime and held the junior guard to just seven points in the second half, making Pierce’s baskets all the more critical.
“We know Troy can do that,” Euler said. “He made those three baskets in a row, and he was dominating. Those guys couldn’t handle him. He played a great game.”
The late-game drama for the Spartans (9-4, 4-2 Centennial League) came after Emporia looked like it would run away with the game in the first half.
Rural took a 7-6 lead on a basket by Tanner Speake 2 minutes in, but over the next 7 1/2 minutes, EHS went on an 18-3 run to go ahead 24-10 with just less than 6 minutes left in the second half. The run was fueled by a hot-shooting Euler, who scored 11 points during that stretch, much to the chagrin of the Rural students, who made him the focus of their jeering and taunts.
“They were just giving me a lot of crap from football,” said Euler, who finished the first half 6-for-8 from the field for 13 points. “In the first half, I felt good. I felt in rhythm, and my teammates were getting me the ball in spots where I felt I could hit good shots. I wasn’t having to force anything.”
Rural (4-7, 1-4) closed the gap to 30-21 at the half, and then the Junior Blues went about chipping away at Emporia’s lead. Werner scored 10 of his 13 points from the 1:55 mark of the third quarter to the 4:04 point of the fourth, highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers that pushed the Junior Blues in front of the Spartans by one point at 43-42.
“They hit some pretty big threes and made a couple nice drives to the basket,” Pierce said. “We had dropped into a zone on defense, and they came back on us.”
But thanks to Pierce, Rural never could shake the the Spartans, and EHS won for the fifth game in a row.
“I’m so proud of how these kids responded,” Coach Bloomquist said. “The biggest key tonight with how we covered each other’s back. I’m so proud of that.
“The mood of the game, the way the game changed personalities, those kids responded. They kept their poise, and nobody lost their composure. That comes from great senior leadership, and that comes from kids believing in what we’re doing.”
Emporia boys 53, Washburn Rural 46
Friday at Topeka
Emporia 18 12 8 15 — 53
Washburn Rural 10 11 14 11 — 46
Emporia (9-4, 4-2 Centennial League) — Brandon Childs 1-1 2-2 4, Caydrick Bloomquist 2-15 1-2 6, Taylor Euler 8-13 3-3 20, Jacob Torres 2-5 4-4 9, Troy Pierce 6-6 0-0 12, Greg Canales 1-4 0-0 2, Eric Reimer 0-0 0-0 0, Matt McAnarney 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-45 10-11 53.
Washburn Rural (4-6, 1-4) — Spencer Scott 1-1 0-1 3, Tanner Speake 2-12 3-4 7, Justin Werner 4-10 2-4 13, Austin Bork 3-7 1-3 7, Keaton Vander Hart 0-1 0-0 0, John Pecis 1-4 1-2 3, Dylan Hungerford 3-6 0-0 6, Trent Annan 0-0 0-0 0, Bobby Chipman 1-2 1-1 3, Brett Ash 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 16-47 8-15 46.
3-point goals — Emporia 3-15 (Bloomquist 1-9, Euler 1-4, Torres 1-2), WR 4-11 (Scott 1-1, Speake 0-3, Werner 3-5, Bork 0-1, Ash 0-1). Rebounds — Emporia 28 (Pierce 9), WR 30 (Bork, Hungerford 6). Assists — Emporia 8 (Bloomquist 3), WR 6 (Bork 2). Turnovers — Emporia 14, WR 15. Total fouls — Emporia 15, WR 12.