Andress team had several players that played together since elementary school

It was a magical run by the Andress Eagles.

In the end, they ran out of tricks.

Elijah Thomas scored 16 points and pulled down 14 rebounds and Lancaster pulled away in the second half for a 69-48 win over Andress.

“Their size wore us down,” Andress coach Jim Forbes said. “You get worn out and eventually your shots don’t fall.”

Shots weren’t falling for most of the first half, despite the Eagles earning quality looks from the floor. Andress shot just 32 percent for the half and trailed by 9 at intermission. The shots they wanted were there, but they couldn’t get them to fall. Aaron Scallion, Zaccheus Jackson and Alvin Warren combined for all 23 of the Eagles pointson 9/17shooting. The rest of the team was 0-11.

In the second half, Lancaster asserted its dominance. The Tigers quickly opened a 14 point lead and led by as many as 20. They never looked back.

The Tigers leaned on their size to ware down Andress and the Eagles simply could not fight all the way back.

Jackson scored 13 points to lead Andress. Warren (the hero who made the winning shot against Palo Duro) chipped in with 11.

“No group of kids here from freshman year to seniors have worked as hard as them,” Forbes said. “It was tough to see the game wind down and when it got away from us in the second half, it was tough to watch.”

The loss should not diminish what was an otherwise sensational season for the Eagles. Andress finished the season with a 33-2 record.

They ended the season ranked as the state’s fifth best team, according to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches. They became the first traditional public high school team since Riverside, in 1995, to advance to the final four. That team was also coached by Jim Forbes.

A Special Group Of Players

Lynn Gill, Andress principal, said, “To get to the final four coming from El Paso is a huge accomplishment. I’m really, really proud.”

Their mission coming into the year was to get to the state tournament – and they did it.

“Their work ethic is incredible,” Forbes said. “Their grades are incredible, the fact that they got here and busted their tails, everything they did; they earned.”

Andress followed in Canutillo’s footsteps by putting a El Paso back on the major high school sports map. The loss cannot overshadow the accomplishments of the team.

“It feels good to put on a fight for the community,” Scallion said. “I grew up in El Paso and it feels good to put the city back on the map like Jim Forbes did back in the day. It’s a blessing.”

Some of the players have played together since elementary school. Now, they’ve played their final game together.

“It’s going to be hard now that the season is over, but we are still friends outside the court,” Rashad Still said. It’san honor to play with these guys and to make it this far and to represent El Paso. I’m honored even though we lost.”

Andress will graduate eleven players, which will likely mark the beginning of a rebuilding project. But for their final season together, the players at Andress put together a season for the ages. It’s a season which will not soon be forgotten.