JUSTIN — Fort Worth Trimble Tech prides itself on defense, and they displayed it during Friday’s Class 4A area-round playoff game with Denton.
The Bulldogs, ranked No. 23 in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches state poll, limited Denton to just 17 of 51 shooting, which included just 2 of 15 at one point from behind the 3-point line, as they knocked off the Broncos 61-46 at Northwest High School.Tech (25-7) advances to meet Fort Worth Arlington Heights, a winner over Denton Guyer, in the regional quarterfinals on Tuesday at a time and site to be announced.“We knew they were going to put a lot of pressure on us off the ball and they did that in the first quarter,” Tech coach Wendell Ivory said. “I just told the guys to settle down and keep them out of the paint. Once they get in the paint they finish and create havoc.”Denton (17-15), which trailed by as many as 13 early in the fourth quarter, cut the deficit to eight on a basket by Michael Jackson with 4:40 to play. They forced a Tech miss, but Jordan Gales followed with a putback that sparked a nine-point run to make it 54-37 with 1:34 to play.“One thing about teams like us that shoot a lot of jumpers is there are a lot of rebounds,” Ivory said. “Sometimes that can work against you with long bounces, because it can jump-start their fast break. I just told the guys make sure you grab the ball with two hands.”Four Bulldogs scored in double figures led by Chasten King with 19. Gales added 16 points and Spencer Franklin chipped in 15. Denton was led by Michael Jackson with 17 points and Ryan Daniels with 12.Trimble Tech scored the game’s first eight points behind five from King just 2:30 into the game, but Denton stormed back with a run of their own, scoring seven straight over the next 1:38, including a 3-point play from Jackson.The Bulldogs answered with a seven-point run of their own to go up 15-7, before Denton scored four in a row to end the quarter down 15-11. A.D. Harris basket cut the lead to two, but Tech held Denton to four points the rest of the quarter.More information
Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
