The Trenton High School basketball teams got off to rocky starts at North Central Missouri College’s Holiday Hoops over the weekend, as both squads fell to teams in green uniforms. The Trenton boys were dealt a 78-68 loss Friday night against the Maryville Spoofhounds and the Trenton girls fell Saturday against St. Joseph-Lafayette, 53-34.
Lady Bulldogs
The Trenton girls hadn’t lost all season, but that all changed against Lafayette. The Irish put Trenton in unfamiliar territory early, racing out to an 11-4 lead in the first quarter. Trenton continued to struggle in the second and trailed 26-10 at halftime. The Lady bulldogs pulled things together in the second half and were able to keep pace with Lafayette, but the damage done in the first half was irreversible as Trenton fell by 19 points.
“We got beat by a good team,” Lady Bulldogs’ Head Coach Brian Upton said. “They are a strong inside team and, at least tonight, a strong outside team. We weren’t quite up to the physicalness of the game and their defense kept us out of any meaningful offense.”
Trenton was paced by Ainsley Tolson who had 15 points and three rebounds. Whitley Richman added 10 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Salem Croy had three points and three rebounds, Lexie Tolson had two points and two assists, Daryian Otto had two points and three rebounds and Ally Ockenfels rounded out a tough offensive night for Trenton with two points.
“Ainsley played well tonight,” Upton said. “She handled the ball well against their pressure defense and was one of only a few players that was able to work her way open for good shots. Whitley also had a nice game. She really had to work for any scoring opportunities that she got.”
With the loss, Trenton’s record received its first blemish as the Lady Bulldogs fell to 8-1 on the year. The Trenton girls will look to bounce back in the second of three scheduled Holiday Hoops games on Tuesday as they take on another St. Joseph school in the Benton Lady Cardinals. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Bulldogs
The Trenton boys suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season as the Bulldogs dropped their Holiday Hoops opener with Maryville Friday night. A poor second quarter would be Trenton’s downfall as the Bulldogs were outscored 26-12 in the second frame. That put Trenton in a 41-24 hole at halftime, one they would not be able to dig out of despite their best efforts. Trenton made a run on the Spoofhounds in the third quarter, outscoring them 22-15. Maryville was nails at the free-throw line in the final frame, however, denying Trenton a chance to complete the rally. The Spoofhounds went 16-for-21 from the charity stripe over the final eight minutes to put the Bulldogs away and hang on for the 10-point win.
“We played against a good team and we didn’t play as well as we could for four quarters,” Bulldogs’ Head Coach Jeremy Austin said. “We had a letdown in the second quarter and you can’t do that against a good team.”
Trenton was paced on the night by Brice Dillon, who knocked down four three-pointers in the game to finish with 17 points. Dillon added two assists as well. Spencer Harris added 15 points, four rebounds and three assists and Connor Cotton and Corbyn Guile each scored 11 points. Guile added five rebounds, five assists and three steals and Cotton finished with four rebounds. Trenton had five in double figures as Kail McCarter finished the game with 10 points and two steals. Mason Radcliff and Lathan Croy each scored two points to round out the Trenton total. The Bulldogs were without Cree Mullenix, who was nursing an ankle injury suffered in the Gallatin game last week.
“I thought we had a lot of guys play some really good minutes and we shot really well from the outside in the second half,” Austin said. “We played really hard. We got down by a lot there and we could have given up but we didn’t. I’m proud of the boys, they worked really hard -even when things were looking bleak. We got within five there in the second half, but you know how these things work. When you get down like that you can make a run, come back and make it look pretty, but you usually don’t win.”
The loss dropped Trenton to 6-3 on the season. The Bulldogs will look to snap the two-game skid on Monday, Dec. 28, when they take on Braymer at Holiday Hoops in Trenton. Action tips off at 4 p.m. The Trenton girls will also take on Braymer that day at Holiday Hoops, tipping off at 1:30 p.m.