SEYMOUR — Against sectional opponents, Edinburgh’s boys basketball team boasts an unblemished record.
The Lancers moved to 4-0 against Sectional 62 foes, and 12-8 on the season, with a 86-64 victory against Trinity Lutheran on Tuesday.
The first half proved an offensive showcase for both ballclubs. The teams exchanged the lead 10 times in the opening quarter.
Six different players scored for Edinburgh (12-8) in the first quarter, led by five points each from Parker Bryant, Justin Fosskuhl and Coltan Henderon. The Lancers led 24-22 at the end of eight minutes of play.
In the first quarter the Cougars (6-15) drained four 3-pointers, led by a pair from Jacob Rowe.
Edinburgh went on a 10-3 run to open the second quarter, capped by a one-handed dunk from Christian Cox, to lead 34-25 with 4:15 left in the half.
A basket by Jack Marksberry and 3-pointer from A.J. Goecker cut the Trinity deficit to 34-30, but the Lancers answered with back-to-back treys from Cox and Henderson to lead 40-30 by the 2:12-mark.
Threes from Marksberry and Rowe inched the Cougars closer to the lead, but the Lancers held a 47-38 advantage at the break.
“We got good looks and we knocked down some big shots,” Edinburgh coach Keith Witty said. “We knew that Trinity Lutheran wanted to play fast. We did a good job of running the offense and getting our guys open. We just made a bunch of shots tonight.”
Out of intermission, the Lancers went on a 15-5 run — led by six points by Henderson and five from Fosskuhl — to boost the lead to 62-43 with 3:54 left in the third quarter.
In the final 3:40 of the third, Edinburgh limited the Cougars to just four more points while finishing on an 8-0 run to lead 73-47.
“In the third quarter, they came out more aggressive than we did and we started missing some shots,” Stuckwisch said. “Their defense had more pressure on us, and we had some turnovers. That was our demise.”
Going into the fourth quarter, the Lancers already had a season-high in points for a game. While the Cougars battled down the stretch, outscoring the Lancers 17-13 in the final eight minutes, the hole proved too deep for a comeback.
Goecker led the Cougars with 20 points, Rowe added 11 and Marksberry chipped in 10.
Five players scored in double-digits for the Lancers, topped by 19 points from Cox, 17 by Henderson — on five 3-pointers — and 12 from Fosskuhl. Jordan Myers and Bryant each finished with 10 points for Edinburgh.
Trinity drained 10 3-pointers, and the Lancers hit nine. Edinburgh won the turnover margin 19-8, but was outrebounded 23-20.
“Yes, we beat them, but I told our guys that we want to be playing our best come sectional,” Witty said. “We’re lucky we get to host it. It feels good to beat these teams, but at the end of the day the sectional is when it really matters.”
