With the EdCC Tritons leading the league at 6-2 on the year, and EvCC at 4-4 this was an important game for the Trojans season. EvCC came into the game on a two game slide, along with the Tritons losing their last game to Peninsula. However, EdCC was still the top team to beat and it would be a tough game for the Trojans to walk into Edmonds home gym and steal a victory on the road.

From the opening tip off the game was intense and very physical. There was a sense that both teams knew how important the game was in league play. The first game between the two schools was won by Everett in the Walt Price Fitness Center and that game was played the same way. The Trojans started the game off on a 13-4 run by playing solid defense and hitting important open shots, that run just put Edmonds backs to the wall, so they began to fight back.

The Tritons went on a quick 9-0 run tying the game at 13 a piece with 13 minutes left in the first half. For the rest of the half the game would stay neck and neck with both teams being unable to pull away from one another. There was one big star in the first half and that was Said Hersi from the Trojans. Hersi was unconscious from three point range shooting 5/6 threes in the first half alone, giving him a team high of 15 points at the half. After the game Hersi talked about his great shooting night,“I was getting open and my teammates were just finding me at the right time. All I had to do was knock down the open shots.”

Even with all of Hersi’s threes, Edmonds would not let up with the pressure and tie the game at 45 going into halftime. In the first half the Trojans would shoot 51.5% from the field and shot 53.8% from three point land. The second half started with more urgency from EvCC as they scored the first six points jumping out to a 51-45 lead early. The speed of the game picked up with Derek Brown Jr. racing up and down the court forcing Edmonds to pay more attention to him, so he could free up more open looks on the outside of the perimeter.

A person could feel the pressure from the crowd, along with both benches since four technicals were given to Edmonds in the second half forcing an Assistant Coach to be thrown from the game, with a fan from the crowd. With the steady play from the Trojans and lock down defense, EvCC would run away with the game winning 91-80 for a huge league win. This win marked the second victory over Edmonds and put the Trojans back into the thick of the playoff race. Coach Larry Walker said “we played really smart and Said had a great game. We just got to take care of business against Peninsula on Sunday.”

The next game for Everett is on Sunday Feb. 14 at 6:00 p.m. in the Walt Price Student Fitness Center.