(Sioux City, Iowa) — The Tri‑Center Trojans will look to punch a ticket to the Class 2A state boys basketball tournament when the Trojans face defending champion Western Christian in a Substate 8 final tonight at Sioux City East High School, with coverage on KS 95
In the substate semi-finals, the Trojans had a comeback victory over Cherokee Washington 77-73 after being down 46-32 at the half. Senior AJ Harder led the way with a whopping 42 points and seven assists, sinking 16 of his 26 shots from the field. Tyler Baatz contributed in the post with 22 points and seven boards. However, Coach Chad Harder says that defense was the true difference-maker in the contest:
Tri-Center now sets their sights on a basketball dynasty in Western Christian, a team that boasts 12 championships and are looking for their third in a row. Harder says that these are the challenges you want to face as a team:
Western Christian has a lot of options on the offensive side. 6’7″ post Landon De Stigter leads in scoring with 19 points per game, and he can shoot with efficiency from almost anywhere on the floor. Sophomore Tayden Moret is the Wolfpack’s main playmaker with 18 points and 4 assists per game. Harder says that taking on a team that specializes in deep shots has its difficulties:
Tip-off is at 8 PM, and the winner will qualify for the state tournament at the Casey’s Center in Des Moines next week.
