Trojans dominate Maroons

CLINTON - It seems like any time a Clinton sports team has an opportunity to take down their rivals six miles to the south, they simply cannot do it. 

The Maroons lost to the Maroa-Forsyth Trojans, 60-38 Tuesday night in Clinton.

Clinton head coach Shawn Leischner admitted to the Decatur Herald and Review after the game that his team came out and played lackadaisical. Maroa jumped out to a 10-2 lead and held a 17-6 advantage after the first quarter. 

The Trojans led by 10 and halftime and really  put away Clinton in the third quarter, outscoring the Maroons by 10 in the frame. 

The Maroons are most successful when Aaron Ennis has a big game from beyond the arc. He did not have that kind of impact Tuesday as the Maroons hit only one of eleven shots from long distance. 

Wyatt Washburn had 18 points to lead the Trojans, who improve to 2-1 in the Okaw Valley Conference. 

Leischner also admitted that Maroa dominated the game offensively and defensively. 

Both teams are very much improved from last year. But it is apparent that the Trojans have made the greatest strides. 

Clinton should take the approach Lovie Smith did when he took over as head coach of the chicago Bears in 2004. Goal Number 1: Beat Your rival, Goal Number 2: Win conference.

Before the Maroons can put themselves on the list of Okaw contenders, they must defeat Maroa-Forsyth. 

Maroons win Okaw opener

Despite a number of turnovers and defensive lapses, the Clinton Maroons came out of Tuesday night's Okaw Valley opener against Warrensburg-Latham with a 63-62 win. 

Aaron Ennis had 25 points, including six three-point baskets to propel the Maroons, who won at home for the first time this season. No one else scored in double figures for Clinton. 

The Maroons let W-L beat them with three-pointers early on as the Cardinals led 15-8 after the first and 31-26 at halftime. 

but the third quarter was a shootout and Clinton did most of the scoring. The Maroons then withstood a late, fourth quarter Cardinal run to hold on to the narrow victory. 

The team has a lot of hard working players. I was impressed with Alex Jette in his first start and Chris Webb had a solid outing off the bench. 

But the night belonged to Ennis. He has the best skill set on this team. His range gives them a shot in any game as long as they are within striking distance. 

Like the Clinton girls team, this group is improving and already have more wins this year than last. They just need more consistent players and have a set starting lineup. 

The Maroons visit Shelbyville Friday night with a legitimate shot at beginning conference play with a 2-0 record. The Rams were the victim of two of the three Maroon victories from 2008-09.

Photo: Clinton's CJ Bundy (5) passes around an unidentified Warrensburg-Latham defender.