For the Troy Trojans, their magical, season-long transition from pushovers to prominence captivated a town and carried them on their deepest playoff run in 31 seasons.
But the dream is over thanks to a seasoned and superior Edgewood squad with state championship aspirations.
The Trojans couldn’t keep up with the Class 2A No. 7-ranked Bulldogs’ frenetic pace in the first half and were blown away early in the second in a 72-38 loss Wednesday night in a Region II quarterfinal at Navarro College.
“You can’t simulate that in practice,” second-year Troy coach David Brawner said about Edgewood’s quickness. “We were nervous. We were rattled early and they jumped out on us. We couldn’t get into an offense because we were running around so much that we didn’t know where to go. They had us moving around and out of position. They got in our heads and we just couldn’t line up.”
Troy, which won District 16-2A this season for its first league crown since 1984, finished 21-14. Only the 1953 and 1978 Trojans advanced farther in the playoffs, losing in the regional finals.
“Nobody likes to lose and nobody likes to lose like that, but you just won a district title, got to the third round for the first time in 31 years - you can’t look at it from a negative angle,” Brawner said. “The parents just want to give you a pat on the back because they’re as proud of you as can be.”
Edgewood (29-7) advanced to face the winner of No. 2 Ponder and Bogota Rivercrest in a regional semifinal Friday at Tarleton State in Stephenville. Ponder ousted the Bulldogs 45-42 in overtime in last year’s Region II final.
Troy trailed 5-4 early before Edgewood went on an 11-0 run, highlighted by a pair of 3-point baskets by Calvin King.
Stephen Ford (team-high 12 points) hit a 3 and scored inside to pull Troy within 16-9. Then, the Bulldogs’ 6-7 Colton Humphries started to dominate inside, scoring the game’s next eight points to push Edgewood’s lead to 24-9.
The Bulldogs’ full-court press defense began taking its toll, forcing the Trojans to make hasty passes and not allowing them to settle into any offensive rhythm as they committed 19 turnovers in the first half.
“We weren’t awake,” said Troy senior Jonathon Bulls, who scored six points. “We’ve done it before. We did it all practice. We can handle it any other time, but it just wasn’t our night.”
Down 35-19 at halftime, the Trojans needed a strong start in the hope of a comeback, but instead they were blitzed by an Edgewood onslaught.
The Bulldogs made seven of their first 11 shots, went on a 19-2 run to start the second half to push the lead to 54-21 and didn’t commit a third-quarter turnover in putting the game well out of reach.
“I said (at halftime), ‘We have to get stops,’” Brawner said. “And they came out and made some big 3s. They are a state championship-caliber team. They’re better than any team we’ve played - 2A, 3A, and we’ve played some pretty good 3A teams.”
Edgewood’s Darrius Rogers scored a game-high 16 points, Weston Jameson scored 13 of his 15 in the third quarter, King had 14 and Humphries added 13.
Troy junior Zach Lynch had nine points and sophomore Tyler Whitley scored six.
It certainly was a sour way to end the season for Troy, but the Trojans faithful know it’s a season that won’t be forgotten for a long time.
When Bulls was asked what he’ll remember most about his final season, in which Troy won its first district title in 25 years, he replied: “That, and going somewhere (in the playoffs) where a lot of other teams haven’t been, especially here lately.
“No one ever talks about basketball. The seniors in football always pick on us about where the basketball will go this year. This year we finally went further than them. I’ll always remember that.”
