Anaheim Beats Troy, Earns a Chance to Play Mater Dei

One thing was certain entering the Division I-A wild-card boys’ basketball game between Anaheim and Troy Wednesday night: Neither team would be looking ahead to its next opponent.

Anaheim went on a 15-0 run in the second half that broke open a tight game and lifted the host Colonists to a 61-49 victory over Troy.

As a reward, Anaheim moves on to play top-seeded Mater Dei Friday night.

“Playing one of the top teams in the nation is going to be a great opportunity,” Anaheim Coach Bob Hawking said. “We’ve got some film of them.”

Troy controlled the early going, leading by as many as seven points. But when Anaheim reserve guard Brandon Clark hit a short jumper with 2 minutes 5 seconds left in the second quarter, it gave Anaheim its first lead at 24-22.

The lead changed hands several times in the third quarter, with Troy going up, 33-32, when sophomore Kevin Dalafu hit his third three-pointer of the game at the 1:57 mark.

But the Colonists took over from there, scoring the next 15 points to take a 47-33 lead, and were never seriously threatened again.

Anaheim guard Quinn Hawking scored 11 of his game-high 25 points during the scoring spurt and had 19 in the second half.

Nathan Gilkes finished with 18 points for Troy before fouling out.