by Anthony Robinson

In a game in which the Trojans could never put the Tigers in their rearview mirror, the Atlantic Trojans escaped the AHS gym Monday night with a 47-40 victory over Red Oak in district basketball action.

The win pits the Trojans into their third match-up of the season against the Harlan Cyclones. Atlantic and Harlan will match-up Thursday night at Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs for the district championship.

Coach Blazek said that his team never had any rhythm offensively or defensively during Monday’s game.

After a first quarter that featured six lead changes and two ties, the Trojans found themselves trailing 13-12 after the end of the first quarter.

During the first eight minutes, junior Dalton Franken made a three-point field that gave him 1,000 points in his career.

Franken finished the night with 16, giving him 1,011 points in his already impressive three-year career at AHS.

After junior Tanner Johnson extended the Tiger lead to three, the Trojans closed out the first half with a 10-2 run.

Atlantic took the lead 16-15 with 4:22 to play in the second quarter, and never trailed the remaining 20:22 of the game.

Red Oak pulled within three points 22-19 in the early stages of the second half after two sloppy possessions by the Trojans, but a break-away dunk by junior Dalton Franken started a 5-0 run to give the Trojans their largest lead of the game so far at eight points.

Senior Blake Esbeck made three three-point field goals in the third quarter, including a make at the buzzer to give the Trojans a 38-31 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Neither team scored until the 4:35 mark in the fourth quarter, when a Red Oak field goal cut the margin to five points.

After a lay-up by Pete Walker made it 44-38, the Tigers were forced into fouling the Trojans to stop the clock and force the Trojans into winning the game at the free-throw line.

Atlantic made three out of four free throws in the final minute to extend their lead to nine points, before Tanner Johnson made a lay-up with under 10 seconds to play.

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