The Trenton High School girls basketball team continued to run over all challengers Tuesday night, defeating visiting Marceline 71-43 in the Bulldogs’ home opener.
While the end result was an imposing mark on the scoreboard, the game was probably closer than Trenton would have liked in actuality.
Trenton landed a big blow right off the bat, opening the game on a 10-0 run, but Marceline did its best to keep itself in the game.
The Tigers weathered the opening punch by Trenton and kept itself close enough to be in the game, trailing by 12 points after the first quarter and 15 at halftime. Trenton would only add three points to its advantage in the third quarter, but the Tigers finally buckled under the pressure as Trenton outscored the visitors 22-12 over the final eight minutes to push the final margin to 28 points.
While the hole Marceline found itself in early was a deep one, the Tigers were able to use some strong three-point shooting to keep Trenton from completely running away with the game. Marceline connected on four first-half triples and five total to continually keep Trenton from putting the game entirely out of reach.
“(Marceline) hit some big shots,” Trenton Head Coach Brian Upton said. “Every time we would get up by 12 or 13 points it seemed like they would hit a big bucket or a three. It seemed like we could just never expand that lead enough to where you felt super comfortable.
“Give (Marceline) credit, they hit shots. We had some defensive mistakes, but there was good play on their part.”
As good as Marceline’s shooting was on this night, Trenton showed down the stretch what makes it such a dangerous team. Ainsley Tolson and Mykah Hurley combined for eight three-pointers, seven of which came in the late third and fourth quarters.
Tolson would lead Trenton with 25 points, three assists and three steals while Hurley added 14 points four steals and seven assists. Freshman Maci Moore was also in double figures as Trenton’s second-leading scorer, going for 17 points and two blocked shots.
Salem Croy added seven points, five rebounds and three assists and Ashten Whitaker, Lexi Whitaker and McKayla Blackburn all had two points each to round out the Bulldogs’ total. Ashten Whitaker added five assists and Lexi Whitaker had three assists.
The win kept Trenton perfect on the season, moving the Bulldogs to 5-0.
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Trenton faces its toughest test of the season to date on Thursday as the Bulldogs play host to Chillicothe, a team that has had their number in recent years.
“If our girls aren’t motivated to play Chillicothe then they are un-motivatable,” Upton said. “We haven’t had much success against them. It’s a little bit different there this year. They graduated a lot of good players, but they still have size and athleticism.”
The Bulldogs and Hornets will tip off in Trenton at 6 p.m.Thursday.