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Sports
By Patrick Browne
CRYSTAL FALLS – The Forest Park Trojans remain unbeaten after defeating the Wykons on Dec. 11 and Ewen Trout Creek on Dec. 12. Although the two victories were very different, both put wins in the book and the Trojans can now boast a 3–0 record.
“Three and 0 is a very good start,” said coach Jason Price, “I really couldn’t be happier with how we’ve started the season.”
After the first several minutes against the Wykons, the game was all Forest Park. Holding West Iron to only 21 points, the Trojans came on strong and didn’t let up, scoring 79 points in the victory. The strength of the team was evident as all nine players contributed points in the victory. Kevin Giuliani, Matthew Showers and Gaven Rintala were in double figures while freshman Isaiah Tarter got his first varsity bucket when he sank a three-pointer.
Playing back to back games for the first time this season, the Trojans played the Ewen Trout Creek Panthers less than 24 hours later.
“[Panthers] Coach Brad does a great job coaching and his team was ready for us,” Price said.
The Trojans had difficulty getting started and fatigue played a factor in a mistake-ridden game that could have gone either way.
The Panthers had done their homework and refused to allow Kevin Giuliani an uncontested shot. Collapsing on him regularly with two or three players, the Trojans were forced to shoot from the outside and were inconsistent in the effort. The Trojans hit three of 14 shots from beyond the arc. Giuliani, despite being continuously harangued, managed to carry the load for the team, scoring 23 points.
Trailing at the half 26–24, the Trojans battled back and headed into the final quarter with a 40–36 lead. Forest Park’s strong bench and a couple of key three-point shots provided a modicum of breathing room in the final minutes. The game was not out of reach for the Panthers until the final minute when Gabe Quevedo sank two clutch free-throws. Only then, with their lead extended to nine, did the Trojans breathe easier. The final score was 57–48 and Forest Park had their third victory of the season.
Freshman Vic Giuliani reflected on the start of the season.
“We had a great first game, but because we had such a long time before our next game [11 days] and then had two in a row, we were tired and only really got on track in the second half,” he said. “I’m just glad to be undefeated.”