Auburn High School basketball is human and the basketball giants have taken some battle scars this season — and have lived to tell the tale.

A double-digit deficit at home against Kennedy and the Trojans survived. One possession games against Kentwood, advantage Auburn. But at Kentridge on Jan. 23, the Trojans fell in-state for the first time all season, 60-57.

In their first meeting this season, Auburn took care of business at home just over a month prior (Jan. 16). The Trojans got out in front early and never looked back, beating the Chargers, 81-54.

This time around, Kentridge was the one throwing the punches and Auburn took too long to respond.

“Kentridge did great. They came out and set the tone. They punched us in the mouth, our kids weren’t ready to go. We allowed them to set the tone and dug ourselves a little bit of a hole,” head coach Ryan Hansen said.

The two sides struggled early with both sides narrowly managing double digits as Kentridge took an 11-10 lead. But in the second quarter, Kentridge found some separation thanks to a 12-2 run.

Daniel Johnson was the only Trojan to score more than one shot. He had seven second-quarter points compared to the rest of his team scoring just six.

Daniel Johnson conducts the offense for Auburn. Ben Ray / The Reporter

Kentridge took a 10 point lead into the locker rooms at halftime. Auburn needed a spark in the third and it came from an unlikely source. TJ Chagolla had just six points in the third quarter, but his presence and energy brought life to an otherwise slumbering Auburn team.

“TJ played great tonight. He’s been in a tough spot where he hasn’t gotten a lot of minutes all the time. He’s stayed positive and stayed with it and waited his turn. Tonight he got his turn and made the most of it,” Hansen said.

Auburn employed an aggressive defensive attack at Kentridge star Gio Moimoi in the first half and held him to just nine first-half points. But he finished the game with 27 points, with eight in the third and 10 in the fourth.

“He’s really good at getting to his spots. He’s strong and he’s really good at using his body with a spin move. We were trying to send an extra guy, once he started dribbling downhill,” Hansen said. “He’s a good player and he showed why he is an all-league player tonight.”

When Auburn cut the Kentridge lead from 15 to four, Kentridge found an extra gear and went to the fourth quarter down 48-40. But despite the eight point hole, Auburn felt like they were right back in the thick of things.

“We started to get downhill a little bit and the ball started to move better. Defensively I thought we played a little bit tougher in the second half,” Hansen said.

Miles Henry had just two points in the first half. But the 6’4” senior turned it on in the second half. Turner had 15 points in the second half and was bringing an edge to try and will his side to victory. But it was Kentridge’s night to be had.

“Miles is at his best when he plays with emotion. He saw a few shots go down, which made him more emotional. I think we play better as a team when he is our emotional leader,” Hansen said.

Leroy Kinnay drives to the basket. Ben Ray / The Reporter

Emmanuel Rogers intercepted a pass and had an unguarded lay-up to give Auburn a 54-53 lead with 3:03 left in the game. Auburn wouldn’t score for the next minute and a half before Miles Henry hit a three with 1:22 left on the clock to cut the lead to 59-57.

With 21.5 second left and a chance to tie or take the lead, Leroy Kinnay took a jumpshot that hit the back iron, and Auburn’s fate was sealed.

As long as the Trojans win out, they will clinch at minimum a shared league title with Kentridge now that both sides have just one league loss.

Auburn has home court advantage for their final three games as Stadium, Tahoma and Riverside will all come to Auburn to take on the Trojans. It will take a little more than a bump in the road, on the road, to rattle this veteran Auburn team.

“A loss this time of year can be good for us. We can learn a lot and take a lot from it. We didn’t play our best basketball tonight,” Hansen said. “We know we can play better and we are going to have to play better to make the kind of run we want to make.”