Andover Central boys 70, Andover 46
The basics: Senior Jordan Birch scored eight of his game-high 18 points in the second quarter, and Andover Central (12-3, 5-1) cruised to an easy victory Friday night over archrival Andover (6-9, 4-3).
Birch took his junior year off from basketball to concentrate on football but returned this season, and he said he’s regained his form.
“It definitely took awhile, but I think I’m definitely shaking the rust off,” Birch said. “The shots were falling, they felt good, my teammates were setting me up well, and everything was just falling.”
Birch hit two of Andover Central’s nine three-pointers, including one in the third quarter, when the Jaguars hit three in the period.
Both teams took good care of the ball, but Jaguars turnovers were rare, three in the entire game.
“We emphasize taking care of the ball in practice all the time,” Birch said, “so it really paid off (Friday). We were able to stay together and stay focused, so that really helped us.”
Key stretches: Andover, which won at home on Dec. 11, 56-49, for the Jaguars’ only league loss, stayed close through one quarter, but Andover Central blistered the Trojans 23-11 in the second quarter and took a 44-26 halftime lead. In the third quarter, the Jaguars posted a 21-9 advantage. The fourth quarter was played with a running clock.
Standouts: Birch was joined in double figures by fellow senior Darraja Parnell (13 points) and junior Cole Taylor (12).
Junior Jacob Herrs led Andover with 12 points, and senior Antavious Lewis had 10.
What they said: “We haven’t turned the ball over much this year,” Jaguars coach Jesse Herrmann said. “One of my fewest, in the teams I’ve coached. I don’t know what we’re averaging, but it’s pretty low. Obviously, we have some guys that can score the ball too and don’t give it to the other team. We played a pretty complete game, and I couldn’t be happier.”
“We didn’t have an answer for much of anything,” Andover coach Chad Wilmott said. “They just outplayed us in every aspect of the game. We need more out of the whole team. We’ve got to be more balanced.”
What it means: Andover Central faces two AV-CTL Division II road tests next week at Eisenhower and Valley Center. Andover is home to Arkansas City on Tuesday night.
Andover | 15 | 11 | 9 | 11 | — | 46 |
Andover Central | 21 | 23 | 21 | 5 | — | 70 |
Andover: Short 3, Oberg 6, Kellerman 4, Herrs 12, Lewis 10, Wilson 3, Lenz 4, Valentas 4.
Andover Central: Parnell 13 , Birch 18, Co. Taylor 12, Curtis 9, Huslig 4, Anthimedes 6, Bezdek 3, Rafferty 2, Leedom 3.
Lionel Tipton
This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 11:07 PM with the headline "Andover Central boys 70, Andover 46."