As Hamilton’s opportunity to win the Lawson Tournament began to fade into the night, the Hornets were left searching for answers. After hanging tough against the Trenton Bulldogs, Hamilton finally began showing cracks in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs’ relentless attack overwhelmed the Hornets over the game’s final eight minutes.
Once again, Trenton took an opponent’s best shot and, once again, the Bulldogs reigned victorious.
Trenton defeated Hamilton 60-44 on Saturday night to claim its second-straight Lawson Tournament championship, this one secured by a 20-8 onslaught in the final frame.
“Typical championship game,” Trenton Head Coach Brian Upton said. “Both teams played hard and it was very even most of the game.”
For three quarters, the game was just that. Hamilton weathered a 16-point output by Trenton in the opening quarter, scoring 11 of its own. Hamilton was still right there by halftime, trailing by a single point, 29-28.
Trenton’s defense would limit Hamilton to just 14 points in the second half, though, and that defense began to provide offensive opportunities for Trenton as the Bulldogs surged in the fourth quarter, turning a close game into a handy championship victory.
“Hamilton shot the ball really well in the first half,” Upton said. “But, our defense picked it up in the second half. I’m very proud of this group.”
Trenton was paced by Ainsley Tolson, who came within one point of recording the 1,000th of her career. She finished with 27 points, five rebounds, two steals and four assists. The first time she puts the ball through the hoop in Trenton’s next game, she will reach the milestone as a junior, doing so faster than any other player in program history.
Behind Tolson, Salem Croy poured in 14 points, two assists and had six rebounds. Lexi Whitaker reached double figures as well, going for 10 points.Tolson was named the tournament’s most valuable player and both she and Croy were named to the all-tournament team.
“Ainsley had another night of great work and Salem was great as well,” Upton said. “I also thought Lexi played very well. She played with lots of energy and 10 points coming off the bench was a big boost.”
Trenton also got five points, six rebounds and two steals from Mykah Hurley and two points each from Ashten Whitaker and Maci Moore.
The win moved Trenton to 14-1 overall on the season.
vs. NORTH PLATTE
Trenton advanced to Saturday’s championship with a 56-33 win over North Platte in the tournament semifinals on Friday night. Much like the championship, things were close through three quarters. Trenton led 11-9 after the first quarter and the advantage stood at 24-18 at halftime. Trenton held an 11-point edge entering the fourth quarter, where the Bulldogs closed the game with a 17-5 run over the final eight minutes.
“We had a rough time shooting in the first half, but we played good defense and rebounded well,” Upton said. “We still didn’t shoot great in the second half, but found a way to grind it out in a tough game.”
Trenton connected on just one-of-12 three-point attempts in the first half, but Lexi Whitaker sparked the Bulldogs in the final two minutes before halftime, collecting five points, an assist and two steals in the stretch.
Hurley led Trenton with 14 points, nine steals and five rebounds and Tolson went for 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Lexi Whitaker finished the game with nine points, six steals and three assists and Moore followed with eight points and 10 rebounds. Croy scored eight points as well and had four steals and two assists. Ashten Whitaker rounded out the Trenton total with five points, four rebounds and two assists.
INJURY REPORT
Trenton won the championship in spite of being without starter Sidney Lynch, who continues to nurse an ankle injury that kept her out of the entire Lawson Tournament. Upton hopes to have Lynch back for the Hamilton Tournament in two weeks. Saedee Jackson also missed the championship game, fighting illness.
PROGRAM MARKS
While Tolson is approaching 1,000 points, Trenton saw two program marks hit over the weekend. Upton won his 112th game at Trenton in the tournament semifinals on Friday night. That mark represented the highest total by a coach in Trenton girls’ basketball history. Upton now owns a 113-40 record at Trenton. The winningest coach in program history holds a 228-62 overall record.
The Trenton girls basketball program also returned to .500 overall with the championship win on Saturday. The Bulldog program was 50 games under .500 entering the 2015-2016 season, but Trenton is 62-12 since that point. The overall program record stands at 542-542 right now.
UP NEXT
Trenton has a pair of home dates with Grand River Conference foes this week as the Bulldogs host Polo on Tuesday and Milan on Friday. Action is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m. both nights. Tuesday’s game will be preceded by girls and boys junior varsity games that begin at 5 p.m. Both JV games will last just one half, however, meaning the varsity contest should still tip off around 6 o’clock.
The two home games will be welcome for Trenton, which hasn’t had a true home game since Dec. 12, when the Bulldogs played host to Princeton in the GRC opener.