Trenton High School head girls basketball coach Kameron Cool wouldn’t mind if his Bulldogs would jump out to an early lead and win a game comfortably without having to scramble back from a slow start.
He’s not going to complain about a win either, though.
For the second time in as many games, the Trenton girls got down early, battled their way back and held a lead when the final buzzer sounded. Brookfield was the latest team that wasn’t able to put Trenton away as the Bulldogs rallied for a 46-40 victory on Monday at North Central Missouri College’s Holiday Hoops.
“We’ve got to be ready to play because you can’t put yourself in a hole consistently and expect to win games, but the fight in this group is just non-stop,” Cool said. “They’re not going to quit. Working one at the very end of the game there and just finding a way to win was special. That’s what good teams do and we want to get to that level.”
Trenton’s offense struggled in the opening quarter, but the Bulldogs’ wavering defense was a bigger concern. Trenton trailed 12-5 eight minutes and allowed Brookfield 13 more points in the second quarter. Offensively, however, Trenton got a boost from Mirena and Morgan King. Mirena scored eight points in the second quarter and Morgan knocked down a pair of three-pointers as Trenton not only matched, Brookfield’s output, but shaved a point off the deficit as well.
In the second half, Trenton’s defense was looking more like its usual self. Brookfield would not crack double figures the third or fourth quarters as Trenton reeled the Blue and White Bulldogs in. Trenton was within two points going into the final quarter of play then outscored Brookfield 15-7 over the last eight minutes to secure the six-point win. The Bulldogs were 6 of 8 from the free throw line in the fourth to help seal their second win in a row.
Mirena King led the Bulldogs with 16 points and six rebounds and Morgan King followed with 12 points, connecting on 4 of 7 three-point attempts. Astrid Soriano had eight points, three steals and two assists and Chandler Lynch added six points, five assists and two steals. Trenton’s total was rounded out by four points from Gracyn Rongey, who also pulled down a team-high nine rebounds in the win.
Trenton was playing without two starters in Teya Cooksey and Madi Moore, who were both out with injuries.
Trenton now sits at 4-6 overall on the season after winning its last two games.
“Going into break, you want to go in with a good feeling,” Cool said. “We have won a couple of games and we have had some girls who have stepped up. Astrid Soriano has had eight points in each of her last three games, Chandler Lynch has been all over the floor just like normal, Rainy [Mirena King] continues to put the ball in the hole and doing a great job. Morgan hit shots tonight and everybody did a good job of doing their job and we found a way to win tonight.”
BOYS
Trenton’s boys could not get their offense off the ground in their match-up with Brookfield at the Ketcham Community Center, falling 55-24.
The Bulldogs managed just one bucket in the first quarter and trailed 21-2 after the inital frame. The Bulldogs only doubled their first quarter output in the second quarter and went into the break trailing 40-6.
Trenton’s offense netted 14 points in the third quarter before regressing back to a four-point effort in the fourth. The Bulldogs outscored Brookfield in both the third and fourth quarters, but only marginally as they still fell by the 31-point margin.
Trenton shot just 25 percent from the field in the loss while Brookfield knocked down shots at a 65 percent clip.
“Brookfield’s 1-3-1 zone gave us fits all game long,” Trenton head coach Corbin Coe said. “We struggled to get the ball in the paint and that led to some tough shots and turnovers. The second half went much better for us on both ends of the floor.”
Trenton was paced by Kiefer Tolson, who had seven points and Gabe Novak scored six. The Bulldogs also got four points from Maverick Sole, three from Dylan Spencer and two each from Seth Doolittle and Bradyn Sager.
The loss dropped Trenton to 0-10 overall on the season.
UP NEXT
Both Trenton teams get back into action on Tuesday, Jan. 4 when they travel to Gallatin for a Grand River Conference doubleheader. Action tips off with the girls contest at 6 p.m. and the boys will follow.