Grain Valley Boys beat Truman Tuesday night

2/27/2025

by Bill Althaus, Grain Valley News

The Truman High School boys basketball team scored the first four points of their conference home match up against Grain Valley - the Eagles scored the next 17.

With Aaron Barr enjoying one of the finest moments of his career - scoring 24 first-half points and 28 for the game - the Eagles defeated the Patriots 73-51.

While Eli Herbert, one of the top scorers in the metro area, finished with 19 points, all he he wanted to talk about were his nine assists - seven of which resulted following a Barr basket.

"You could tell early on that Aaron was going to have a big night," said Eli, as Barr hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter and three more in the second.

"When a player is in the zone, you want to get him the ball. And I wanted to get it to him in the best way that he can shoot the ball. Aaron had a big night and Kevin (Johnson) had a big rebounding night. Everyone contributed. That's how you win games like this."

Johnson finished with eight points and grabbed 15 rebounds.

"Kevin got 15 rebounds, and that's what we need from him the rest of the year," Eli added. "The first and second quarters showed what we are capable of doing, and we want to finish the season strong and take that momentum into district next week (in Columbia, Mo.)

Truman led 19-5 after one quarter and took a 42-17 lead into the locker room.

"We're playing with a competitive spirit that has come at the right time of the season," said Barr, who finished with six 3-pointers. "Eli kept getting me the ball and I kept shooting - and luckily, I hit most of my shots."

Johnson continues to be a presence for the Eagles on both ends of the court.

"My job is to get rebounds," Johnson said. "And everyone thinks of Eli as a shooter, but he showed tonight that he is a complete player. He scored his points, but he had a lot of assists. Assist and rebounds are two ways to help your team win."

Coach Andy Herbert, Eli's father, lavished praise on his team.

"We really played well tonight," Coach Herbert said. "Getting off to that big lead in the first quarter played a big role in our win. You know, Truman is well coached and they get after it. I've told you before that (Truman guard) Dallas Winda (who finished with nine points) is my favorite player to watch, and my least favorite to coach against because he does everything.

"He's a great player and a great young man."