by Anthony Robinson

The Atlantic Trojan basketball team made 35 of 55 shots and pulled down 35 rebounds in Friday night’s 81-28 win over the Shenandoah Mustangs.

Atlantic improves to 4-1 on the season with the win.

Dalton Franken went 10-13 from the field for 23 points to lead all scorers Friday night. Gunnar Blum added 17 points and 8 rebounds.  Harrison Hoegh had 15 and Sam Markham finished the night with 12.

“I thought we shared the basketball, even when we got ahead. We looked for the open man and a couple of guys passed up shots to get somebody else a better one,” head coach Steve Blazek said after the game.

Atlantic’s full court pressure from the opening tip frustrated the Mustangs. Shenandoah commited many turnovers in the back court, giving the Trojans easy buckets.

In an attempt to slow down the game, Shenandoah was forced into fouling the Trojans 12 times in the first half.

Even though it wasn’t a key in Friday’s game, the Trojans made only 8 of 16 free throws during the game. Coach Blazek thinks that “more than anything, it’s just a lack of concentration.”

After leading by 14 at the end of the first quarter, 24-10, the Trojans outscored the Mustangs 27-8 in the second.

At the 5:50 mark in the third quarter, the Trojans took a 35-point lead, starting a continuous clock for the final 13 and a half minutes of the game.

Some of Atlantic’s second team got much deserved playing time during the fourth quarter.

Atlantic hosts Harlan on Tuesday night. With semester tests scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday at AHS, the games on Tuesday start earlier than normal.  JV tips at 4:30 with the Varsity to follow at 6:00.

For complete stats of Friday’s game click here.

The girls’ basketball team lost on the road, 49-40 against Shenandoah on Friday night.

The Trojanns fall to 2-6 on the season.

The ladies travel to Harlan on Tuesday night. The games will start at the same time as the boys’ games.