After transferring from Hamilton Southeastern to Anderson prior to this season, Indians senior Alex Troutman has been looking forward to Saturday's game as much as any other.
“From the beginning of the season I said, ‘Alright, when do we play HSE?,’” Troutman said. “Okay, Jan. 14. I’ve got it on my calendar.”
That showed Saturday as Troutman had his best day as an Indian with 10 points on the offensive end, shut down his former teammate at the other end and Anderson knocked off Hamilton Southeastern 71-66 at the Tipi.
It was the second win in a row against the Royals for Anderson (9-3) after an eight-game losing streak in the series as well as the fifth in a row for coach Donnie Bowling’s crew this season.
Coming on the heels of a Friday night win at Lafayette Jeff against a Hamilton Southeastern team much better than its 4-10 record with multiple starters in foul trouble, this is a big win for the Indians.
“We had three people in foul trouble,” Bowling said. “Alex is really starting to come into his own. That was one of his bigger games.”
Troutman had to keep his emotions on an even keel for his long-awaited matchup against the Royals. He simply looked to his own mother for support.
“To keep all that in check, my mom is right there on the (bleachers) and tell me to calm down,” he said.
The night had plenty of big moments for Troutman, but the two biggest came within moments of one another and at opposite ends of the floor.
With time running down in the third quarter and Anderson holding on to a two-point lead, the Indians ran down the clock before sophomore Damien King found Troutman alone in the corner. He buried the 3-point jumper as time expired to open up a little breathing room for the Indians heading to the fourth quarter.
“I already had it set up, and I was going to shoot it,” Troutman said. “It was perfect.”
Early in the fourth, after Ahmere Carson pushed the lead to eight with a 3-point basket, Troutman collected one of his team-best three steals and fed Jaylen Murphy at the basket for a layup to give Anderson its biggest lead at 60-50.
Troutman added two rebounds and three assists to his stat line, but Bowling believed his biggest contribution came in a zero that appeared in the scoring column next to HSE leading scorer Donovan Hamilton.
“We put Alex on him because we had asked him if he could guard him,” Bowling said. “Alex said, ‘Coach, I’ll stop him.’ I thought Alex did a great job on him.”
Depth was vital for the Indians as they dealt with foul trouble on multiple fronts. Carson picked up his third foul with 5:05 left in the second quarter and had to sit the remainder of the half. After the Royals tied the game at 31-31, baskets by Murphy and Ja’Quan Ingram pushed the Indians lead to four at the break.
Ingram missed much of the first quarter and the second half with fouls as well. He eventually fouled out with 11 points and five rebounds, but junior Louis Jackson stepped in and, although he is five inches shorter than the 6-foot-3 Ingram, the 5-10 Jackson played just as big with seven points, seven rebounds and a pair of assists off Bowling’s bench.
Despite missing first-half time, Carson led the Indians with 22 points and four assists while Murphy added 13 points — 11 in the second half — and six rebounds. King chipped in eight points and four boards for the Indians, who finished with a 32-26 rebounding edge over the Royals.
Sophomore Braeden Totton led the Royals with a game-high 31 points while Reph Stevenson added a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds and Myles Holman had 10 points.
Anderson will resume its quest for a second straight North Central Conference title when it hosts Marion on Tuesday and West Lafayette Harrison on Friday. The Indians will begin the week 2-0 in the conference while the Giants and Raiders are each 2-1.
“It’s a big week for us,” Bowling said. “We’re still not where I want us to be, but we’re seeing that we’re playing some good teams, and we’re beating them. … We’re getting a little better at the end.”
The Anderson junior varsity team pulled away late for a 53-44 win over the Royals. The Indians were led by Christian Townsend with 15 points.
This article appeared in The Herald Bulletin.