Game #26—February 27, 2018
Jaguars complete trifecta, end Spartans season
Francis Howell Central1212020 =53
Fort Zumwalt West16 131415 =58
Holding the Jaguars Jake Hampton to 14 points after previous 33 and 22 point games was not enough as a 1-point second quarter doomed the 2017-2018 Spartans.
Neither team scored for the first 1:24 until Myles Estrada sank a 3-pointer. The Jaguars took a brief lead before Terron Robinson grabbed a rebound and Jordan Hayden scored on a coast-to-coast play, knotting the game at 5. That would be the last time the Jaguars did not hold the lead as West responded with a 7-0 run. Myles Estrada scored to break the rally and Austin Crudup’s second-chance basket kept the Spartans within five. On the next possession, Terron Robinson stole the ball, leading to a Myles Estrada 3-pointer, cutting the Jaguar lead to 14-12.
Myles’ 3-pointer would be the Spartans last offensive highlight for a long time as the Jaguars reeled off 15 unanswered points. The lone Spartan point of the second quarter came when Terron Robinson sank a free throw with 1:37 remaining. By halftime the Jaguars had run their lead to 29-13.
The Spartans ended a nearly 11-minute drought without a basket when Myles Estrada sank a 3-pointer with 5:57 left in the third quarter. Terron Robinson scored on the Spartans next possession. Kaleb Anderson and Jordan Hayden drained 3-pointers to reduce the Jaguar lead to 34-24. FZW extended their lead back to 14 before Kaleb Anderson scored and Terron Robinson sank a free throw. The Spartans received back-to-back 3-pointers from Terron Robinson and Kaleb Anderson to pull within seven, but the Jaguars halted the FHC momentum as Spencer Strode drained a triple with 2.5 seconds left in the period.
With the season down to the final eight minutes, the Spartans almost pulled off a magical run. After the Jaguars extended their lead to 46-33, Cameron Dent dropped a 3-pointer. Cameron then stole the ball, leading to a Terron Robinson 3-pointer that pulled the Spartans within seven. The Jaguars then lost the ball out of bounds, resulting in a Myles Estrada trey that cut the deficit to 46-42 with 5:46 remaining. A Terron Robinson steal and free throw kept the Spartans within four. Cameron Dent’s free throw cut the margin to three and Kaleb Anderson’s basket with 1:30 left reduced the Jaguar lead to 48-46. Unfortunately, the Jaguars consistently delivered at the free-throw line. Kaileb Bryant sank two free throws to restore West’s four-point lead. Terron Robinson sank one free throw with 24 seconds left, but Kaileb Bryant almost immediately responded with two free throws for a 52-47 Jaguar lead. Kaleb Anderson drained a 3-pointer to pull the Spartans within two. However, the Jaguars reeled off four quick free throws, enough to hold off another Kaleb Anderson trey with four seconds remaining.
Kaleb Anderson led the Spartans with 16 points, including six in the final 17 seconds. Myles Estrada scored 14 points and dished 2 assists. Myles sank 48 treys this season, tying him with Mike Parson’s 2004-2005 total for the seventh highest in school history and his 40% success rate ranks fourth all-time. Terron Robinson finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Kaleb and Terron also finished in the top 15 seasons in Spartan history for 3-point shooting percentage. Jordan Hayden scored 5 points.
The Jaguars defeated the Spartans for the third time this season to improve to 15-11 while FHC finished at 8-18. Despite graduating their top four scorers from the previous season, losing Dontae Horace for the entire year to a torn ACL suffered during football season, and weathering the departure of their leading scorer in mid-January, the Spartans gained two wins over the 2016-2017 season. The Spartans will bring a wealth of experience into the 2018-2019 season with the hopes of bringing a title back to their energetic fan base.