Forney — The Gladiators entered their area matchup on Friday as the underdog against the Trenton Tigers but quickly realized that Trenton’s roar was worse than its bite allowing Italy to jump out to an early advantage.

Leading the way was senior Trevon Robertson who was ridiculous with 5-out of-5 from 3-point range and totaled 17-points before the conclusion of the opening period. Senior center Zain Byers scored 5-points including a 3-point play the old fashion way and TaMarcus Sheppard added a free-throw to give Italy a 23-15 advantage going into the second.

With Robertson on Trenton’s radar, Darol Mayberry managed to put in 4-points in the second-period, including 2-of-3 shooting from the foul line, and Sheppard accounted for 4 more points. Freshman guard Kevin Johnson scored his first basket of the game but Trenton heated up on the offensive end to get back into the game. Robertson was held to just 3-points during the frame which opened the door for a Trenton rally. After leading by twelve at one point, the Gladiators were clinging to a 36-34 lead going into halftime.

The momentum Trenton gained in the second rolled over to the third-period. The game was still tight but the Tigers gained the lead 39-36 and then led 44-41. Trenton then scored twelve straight points to lead 56-41 before a basket by Italy’s Cody Boyd made the score 56-43. Trenton scored again to lead 58-43 but a Johnson 3-pointer to beat the buzzer gave the Gladiators a boost. Trenton led 58-46 going into the final and deciding period.

Sheppard added another basket in the third and Robertson knocked down his sixth 3-pointer but Trenton outscored Italy 24-10 in the period to take command of the game.

The Gladiators did their best to hang in there with help from Mayberry who dropped in two 3-pointers in the fourth-period. Robertson scored one last basket and an aggressive Kevin Roldan earned a pair of trips to the foul line where he put in 2-out of-4. The game’s intensity peaked when Bailey Walton was violently tackled after stealing the ball from a Trenton ball handler. Fortunately, teammates Kevin Roldan and Zain Byers were able to calm Walton down before the exchange of words escalated. Besides the steal, Walton also had a defensive rebound. Later, sophomore Mason Womack would split a pair of free-throws but it was a mere drop in the bucket compared to Trenton’s 17-point fourth to finish their conquest, 76-57, to claim the area title.

Robertson wrapped up his final game with 25-points after scoring twenty in the first-half. Trenton did well clamping down on the Gladiators’ sharp shooter to take over the contest. Notable efforts were turned by Tyler Anderson with 3 rebounds and 1 assist and by freshman David De La Hoya with a defensive rebound. Ty Windham played tight defense and just missed on a 3-pointer under pressure.

Despite the loss, the G-Men, especially their seniors, have plenty to be proud of. This season marked the longest basketball playoff run for Italy in three years after defeating Valley View 54-47 for the bi-district championship. That win was setup after Italy stomped the Itasca Wampus Cats 73-54 to determine playoff seeding with both teams vying for the district runner-up spot.

In sports, what you leave behind is equally as important as what you gain. Italy’s 2013-2014 seniors blazed a new trail back to the playoffs for Italy giving first-year head coach Brandon Ganske a strong foundation to build on for next season.

Congratulations to our seniors and their teammates for putting in the work to give Italy fans hope for next season, a shiny new basketball trophy for the school’s hallway and exciting memories to for us reflect on for years to come!

2013-2014 Gladiator Seniors — Legends of the Coliseum:

• #11 Tyler Anderson
• #13 Darol Mayberry
• #21 Zain Byers
• #22 Trevon Robertson
• #33 Kevin Roldan
• #10 TaMarcus Sheppard
• #4 Bailey Walton
  
  

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Gladiator Game Roster/Scoring vs. Trenton:

Head Coach:

• Brandon Ganske

Assistant Coach:

• Jon Cady

Managers:

• John Escamilla
• Joshua Cryer
• Jorge Galvan

Bookkeeper:

• Misty Escamilla
  
  

Box Score:

Proud of our Gladiators!