On Saturday, January 14, the Gibson Southern Titans’ junior varsity basketball staved off the Boonville Pioneers, winning 37-25. Despite the outcoming favoring the Titans, junior varsity head coach Matt Obert was critical about the first three quarters of the game.

“It was a little frustrating not being able to score for the first half of the game,” Obert said. “Our defense played very well, as we did man-to-man, and worked towards that, as their defense wasn’t as strong. So, as I told the team after the game, we play 22 games a season. We missed a lot of shots, and we’ll have that, but there are two things that we can stay consistent with, defense and working the ball around the court to create better shots and layups.”

Both teams started out with a very low scoring first quarter, only scoring four points each. The second half was much the same, with the score tied at 10-10, as neither team could find its way to the basket. Going into the second half, the Titans were able to get a five-point lead against the Pioneers, making the score 18-13. In the fourth quarter, the Titans found themselves at the free throw line, earning an easy 11 points. The boys were able to more than double their score in the fourth quarter with 19 points and the Pioneers adding 12, bringing the Titans out on top with the win, 37-25.

“The main reason why we couldn’t do as good as we thought was because we went into the game thinking that we have the upper hand in winning this game,” sophomore Mitchell Gilles said. “They came into the game ready to play and were up for the challenge. They played very good defense.”

For the Titans, sophomore Cam Novotney led with a double-double, having 14 points and 13 rebounds, followed by Gilles with six points. The team went 12 of 42, 29% from the field and 48% from the free throw line.

“During the first half, our shots weren’t falling, and we had a lot of open looks, including myself,” Novotny said. “Both defensives played very well and were able to stop the ball on both ends.”

With the season in full swing, the junior varsity basketball team has amassed an astounding record: 11-1. The boys’ only loss was to Heritage Hills in overtime. The Titans have had many blowouts but also a couple close wins. The JV team is a cooperative team. They work well together, as their talking on the court is on point.

“The reason why I think we’re playing so well this season is our defense and our communication throughout each game,” Obert said. “We work very well together with our communication, talking to each other on passes, screens, etc. We discuss what we need to do in between timeouts to finish the game off very strong.”

The junior varsity Titans beat Bosse 56-38 on Saturday, Jan. 21, and Tell City on Jan. 20, 51- 11.

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Junior Beric Davis