Anderson High School is known for its amazing boys basketball team. On Nov. 25, the team put its reputation to the test against Pendleton, one of their biggest rivals. The matchup drew up a large home crowd excited to see how good the team was compared to last season’s team. With the fresh new season starting, will the Anderson Indians be the same strong team they have always been?
The Anderson Indians lost against the Pendleton Arabians with a close score of 50 to 58. The top scorer was Manu Jackson, a junior on the Anderson team, scoring 16 points throughout the game. The top scorer on the Pendleton team was Cooper Sims, a senior, scoring 15 points. “Honestly, I think I just wasn’t in the right mind that day, especially it being our first game and all,” Jackson states. Don Bowling, the coach for the Indians, has been coaching the team for 5 years, making this team his sixth year coaching. “So, five years, and then this is a sixth year right now,” Said Coach Bowling. Most of the varsity players had come straight from junior vasity, and they still had to adjust to playing varsity. “A lot of times in basketball, the sophomores usually play JV, and we got our guys playing varsity, which they did a good job, but that’s the biggest thing in varsity, the kids look the same, but it’s a little bit faster and the people are just stronger.” The experience of the players really matters, since there is a big difference between junior varsity and varsity. Despite the loss, Bowling views this as a learning opportunity, “You always want to win, so yes, I was disappointed,” he said. “But when you have a young team, this is part of the process.” Even though they lost, the potential of a better team is there.
Bowling also states the possibility of a rematch against the Arabians, “ We play them in sectionals this year,” he stated. “It would be good to see how much they’ve grown ever since their loss.” The team has the potential to overcome challenges.
Since the season opener, the basketball team has won two games against the Liberty Christian Lions and the Fort Wayne Bears. It wasn’t just his team that used that game as a learning opportunity, Bowling did too. “I think I learned a lot from that game myself.” Different teams require different methods of learning. “ After the Pendleton game, I had to switch up how I teach them, I mean these guys are a lot younger, so I have to be more motivational instead of strict and hard on them,” he explained. After the first game, coaches often review the game and fix their teaching to accommodate the athletes.
Although the season began with a loss, the Indians gained a valuable experience that can’t be taught from just practice alone. With a young team, the learning opportunities are endless. Anderson has the opportunity to develop into a stronger team as the season progressed.
