The Emporia High School boys basketball team improved to 2-0 on the season with a 47-35 win over Spring Hill on Day One of the Paul Terry Classic at White Auditorium on Thursday night.  The game started out slow offensively for both teams. Trailing 4-2 early, Emporia embarked on a 7-0 run to take a 9-4 lead. But Spring Hill closed the opening period with four straight to make it a one-point game after the first eight minutes.  The two teams traded buckets to open the second quarter before the Spartans ripped off an 8-0 run capped by a River Peters dunk to make it a 10-point game at 20-10. Emporia would score five more points as it took a 25-11 lead into the half.

Head coach Lee Baldwin was pleased with how the Spartans played late in the first quarter and through the second. “I thought from the late first quarter all the way through the second quarter, our defensive intensity was fantastic,” Baldwin said. “We had a lot of live ball turnovers and forcing them three or four feet outside of where they want to start their offense, and it was really impressive. We got a lot of 50/50 rebounds that gave us a lead going into halftime which was the difference in the game.”

Freshman Harrison Trelc scored his first career points with a basket at the buzzer. Baldwin is impressed with how he’s handled himself as a freshman at the varsity level. “Harry is a really good shooter and at some point, he’s going to start knocking down some shots,” Baldwin said. “But for a freshman to be playing varsity basketball is pretty impressive and he’s just going to continue to get better.” Emporia would extend its lead to as many as 18 points and would never trail in the second half. Peters set a new career-high with 24 points. Sheldon Stewart added nine points and Rylan Crowell had six in the win for the Spartans.

While Peters is Emporia’s most dynamic offensive player, Stewart runs the offense as the point guard and brings a little bit of everything to the table. Baldwin said there isn’t anyone else he would want running the offense. “I don’t have the correct words to articulate how important he is to us,” Baldwin said. “He plays 32 minutes every game as our primary ball handler and I trust him with the keys to the car. I wouldn’t want any other guy leading our team.” Emporia (2-0) will take on Hayden on Friday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.