Trenton Girls Hang Tough, But Can’t Get Past Class 4 Warriors
Photo Courtesy Of John Cowling
Maci Moore lets a three-pointer fly during Trenton’s 52-44 loss to Smithville on Saturday at NCMC’s Holiday Hoops. Moore led all scorers in the game with 25 points.
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Trenton didn’t get the victory it pined for but, in the wake of a 52-44 defeat, it was hard for Trenton coach Kameron Cool to be anything but positive.
Smithville is, after all, a Class 4 school. The Warriors aren’t just a class size larger than Trenton either. They are a Class 4 school with a 7-1 overall record. After dropping their season opener to Chillicothe at the Savannah Tournament on Dec. 2, Smithville has now won seven straight, including a victory over Chillicothe the day before it played Trenton to avenge the only blemish on the schedule to date.
“The girls competed as hard as I have seen them compete all year,” Cool said. “Ultimately we want wins, but we saw a lot of improvement in some areas we’ve struggled with early in the season and it was even more positive to do that against such a quality team like Smithville.”
Trenton couldn’t get much traction outside of Maci Moore in the early going, falling behind 13-9 after one quarter with Moore scoring eight of the Bulldogs’ nine points. Moore continued to be a force in the second quarter, scoring 10 more points, but Trenton got just three more points outside of Moore as the Bulldogs trailed 32-22 at the break.
In the second half, Trenton got more offensive help for Moore, but it was Trenton’s defense that allowed the Bulldogs to remain competitive in the contest. After yielding a 19-point second quarter to Smithville, Trenton limited the Warriors to just 10 points in each of the third and fourth quarters. Trenton was right there but couldn’t get over the hump, falling by the eight-point margin.
Moore finished with 25 to lead the Bulldogs while Chandler Lynch finished with nine and Lexi Whitaker added eight. McKayla Blackburn had two points to round out the Trenton total.
With the loss, Trenton dropped to 5-4 overall on the season.
SMITHVILLE BOYS 72
TRENTON BOYS 46
Photo Courtesy Of John Cowling
Brycin Loyd drives to the hoop during Trenton’s 78-46 loss to Smithville on Saturday at the Ketcham Community Center.
“Smithville was a tough match-up for us,” Trenton coach Corbin Coe said. “They forced us into several turnovers that led to easy scores for them. They also started the game off shooting very well. Once again, I will credit my kids for fighting back into the game and cutting the lead to 12 late in the third before Smithville went on a big run to end the game. We are continually seeing improvement in several areas of the floor. We just need to figure out how to string things together for 32 minutes.”
Trenton was paced in the loss by Chase Otto, who had 19 points and five rebounds. Royce Jackson followed with 10 points and five rebounds and Gavin Roeder scored nine points. Preston Harris had five points and Jaren Whitney rounded out the Trenton total with three points, adding six rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocked shots.
With the loss, Trenton fell to 1-8 overall on the season.
Trenton’s boys have one more Holiday Hoops match-up on the docket, coming tonight (Tuesday) when the Bulldogs face off with Northland Christian inside the Ketcham Community Center. Tip off is set for 5:30.
Both Trenton teams return to the court on Tuesday, Jan. 7, traveling to Gallatin for a Grand River Conference doubleheader. Action tips off with the girls contest at 6 p.m. and the boys game will follow.