Entering the fourth quarter of Tuesday night’s match-up with the Marceline Tigers, the Trenton High School boys basketball team needed a spark. A five-point output in the third had the Bulldogs reeling. A one-point edge at halftime was now a four-point deficit.
But, the Bulldogs saved their best for last.
Trenton exploded offensively for 18 points over the final eight minutes, battling past the visiting Tigers for a 45-41 victory.
The difference between the third and fourth quarters?
Defense.
“It’s our defense that turned around our offense,” Trenton Head Coach Jeremy Austin said. “We did a lot better job defensively. We forced some turnovers and that gave us some transition baskets. That changed the tempo of the game. By going faster we were able to score a little bit more and look more like what we were supposed to.”
Trenton opened the game with a 13-9 run in the first quarter, an advantage that was nearly reversed in the second quarter as Marceline outscored the Bulldogs 12-9 to cut the lead to a single point by halftime. The Tigers then pulled ahead for the first time all night, outscoring Trenton 10-5 in the third frame.
Trenton was paced by Lathan Croy, who had a breakout night offensively, scoring 17 points, most of which came in the first half.
“Lathan played really well,” Austin said. “They gave him a lot of looks in the first half. Once they stopped giving him those looks he switched to being a passer, so it was a pretty complete game for him. He played hard, he had some rebounds. It was just a good game for him.”
Carson Radcliff complimented Croy’s total with a 13 point, three steal night. Trenton also got six points and three assists from Dylan Harris, four points each from Max McNabb and Carson Burchett and one point from Hunter Dugan.
Trenton as a team preformed much better on the boards than it did in its previous game – a loss to Winston in the Gallatin Tournament championship.
“There is still a lot of work to do, but in the fourth quarter especially we worked very hard to get rebounds,” Austin said. “We did it technically correct, we boxed out, we would fight for it and we dove on the floor for it. If that fourth quarter is indicative of what we will be for the rest of the season, then we will have a lot of success. We just can’t be complacent all of the time. We have to go after the ball.”
With the win, Trenton moved to 3-2 overall on the season.
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The Bulldogs will be back on their home floor again on Thursday, playing host to Chillicothe. The game follows a girls’ contest between the two schools, which tips off at 6 p.m.