BY CHARLES CHANEY
ANDOVER, Kansas — Call the Trojans a second half squad, but don’t count them out.
Andover once again used a big second half surge to come back and get a big win, this time taking down their crosstown rivals, Andover Central, 48-40. It’s the second straight game where they trailed at halftime and were able to come from behind to secure the win.
“Two games in a row we came out kind of… I don’t know if we’re too excited or too hyped up but we can’t relax and it takes halftime to relax,” Andover head coach Martin Shetlar said. “Definitely weren’t ready to play at the beginning and kind of settled down in the second half.
Settling down would be an understatement.
Andover outscored Andover Central 32-14 in the second half, holding the Jaguars to only six made field goals in the second half and 11 turnovers.
“Our coaches always talk about toughness,” senior Joshua Kim said. “They try to call us soft to make us play harder and it gets us going. It’s my last year and most of our team is seniors again, so you got to come out and play hard and hope whatever we do will work and it will because we trust our coaches.”
The toughness was key as they were able to overcome a 10-point halftime deficit. Andover Central appeared to be the more composed team in the first half. They were getting to their spots, hitting big shots and their lead started to grow as the Trojans started to pile up missed shots. They missed six consecutive shots late in the first quarter and into the second and it wasn’t until Griffin Hand’s and-one that stopped the bleeding.
By that point, Andover Central had built a 17-9 lead. Central’s lead would grow, eventually reaching double digits when Jace Jefferson hit a 3- and it was followed by a jumper from Jayden Brown as they took a 26-16 lead into the half.
Then, adjustments were made.
“We just got stops on defense,” Shetlar said. “We got stops on defense and then we executed better on offense. When we can execute on good looks, we got good shooters, and we just got them to good spots.”
After Central (5-2) came out and scored on a Brody DeGarmo bucket to open the second half, putting the Jaguars up 12, the Trojans went to work. They went on a 8-0 run that saw multiple people contribute and was capped off by a Owen Allman bucket that forced a Jaguar timeout with 4:53 to go in the quarter.
The run would spark up again when Walker McClellan scored his second bucket of the quarter and then Paul Evans scored right before the buzzer to end the game to a 1-point difference heading into the fourth.
They didn’t wait long for the lead to swap hands as Kim went to work, hitting a bucket near the after McClelland saved a loose ball and found Kim standing at the block for the lead, 33-32 with 7:49 remaining in the game.
“Everybody else looks for him to do go do that sometimes,” Shetlar said. “He takes it on himself and he’s better when he’s letting the game come to himself.”
Kim set the school record for assists in the game as well, accruing more than 260 assists in four years at Andover High. He’s been playing varsity since his freshman season and played in almost every game. The WashU knows he could’ve had done it without his teammates.
“It really shows that everyone I’ve played with has helped me as just as much as I helped myself,” he said. “Nothing would’ve happened without my teammates and coaches because that assist doesn’t come from myself.”
Kim and McClellan each scored eight points in the fourth quarter as the Trojans appeared to dominate both sides of the ball. They were tipping passes and getting steals. They were defending without fouling and making big shot after big shot.
After being a rebound magnet in the first three quarters, McClellan’s 12 second half points were huge for the Trojans. After Andover Central had re-taken the lead, it was McClellan’s first three that put Andover up for good. He capped off another three to put the Trojans up at the end.
“He’s a special player,” Kim said. “We trust him a lot and he’s one of our guys. He’s one of the big-time players. So, anything he does, we’ll support and be behind him. We’ve been talking about extending his range and playing on the perimeter and it’s starting to show.”
Central never got within four within the final two three minutes of the game.
Kim finished with 14 to lead the Trojans, while McClelland and Allman each had 12 points.
Brown led the Jaguars with 15.
ANDOVER 48, ANDOVER CENTRAL 40
Andover 9 7 15 17 — 48
And. Cen. 12 14 16 8 – 40
ANDOVER (5-2): 48
Kim 6 2-4 – 14; Allman 3 (2) 0-0 – 12; Evans 1 0-0 – 2; Baker 1 0-0 – 2; Hand 2 2-3 – 6; McClellan 2 (2) 2-2 – 12. TOTALS: 15-23 4-20 6-9 – 48.
ANDOVER CENTRAL (5-2): 40
Brown 4 (2) 1-2 – 15; Neal 1 0-0 – 2; Balke 1 0-0 – 2; Stupka 1 (2) 0-0 – 8; DeGarmo 1 0-0 – 2; Inslee 2 0-0 – 4; Jefferson 1 (1) 0-0 – 5; Meschke 1 0-0 – 2. TOTALS: 12-27 5-13 1-2 – 40.
