Trotters make comeback against Lady Trojans for win

PLAINS –After a lackluster start against the Lady Trojans in clutch game of basketball, the Trotters were the comeback kids of Friday night after pulling through with a win.

The rocky start began with a pace set by the Lady Trojans by way of a three-pointer. The Trotters answered with a two-point followed by a free throw made by sophomore Hailey Phillips, but for the rest of the first quarter, the Trotters couldn’t get another basket. The Trotters were behind 3-12 at the beginning of the second quarter, but their energy revived with the efforts of freshman Carley VonHeeder, whose aggressive court demeanor got the Trotters three more points. Followed by a nice post-up shot by senior Ashley Holmes, the Trotters gained a little ground in the second quarter, but collectively knew this type of play couldn’t go on. They were down 8-21 at halftime.

The second half of the game was a different story from the first.

Junior Felicia Earhart kicked off Trotter scoring with a crowd-pleasing three-pointer, and the energy of the Trotters picked up from there. Efforts from the forwards and posts came up noticeably, with Ashley Holmes driving in a basket, followed quickly by a shot from the top made by freshman Leah Thompson. Following that, Thompson immediately made a steal from the Lady Trojans during their attempt at a fastbreak-lob-pass, and Thompson was quick with her hands. However, the ball was turned over, and then over again as both teams fought to gain control of the ball. VonHeeder broke the cycle with a baseline drive-to-basket, which put the Trotters up 17-22. The quick up in points, coupled with added defensive pressure from the Trotters, made the Lady Trojans shaky in their Air Jordans. The Lady Trojans weren’t able to control the ball and began to get sloppy with passing and fouling. Thompson posted yet another low shot, as well as another attempted shot followed by a made free throw by Ashley Holmes. The Trotters were so close, 20-23, at the close of the third quarter, and fans were up on their feet in anticipation.

The fourth quarter. It went down. A total of 11 points were scored before the Lady Trojans answered back with a single basket, and the Trotters tied it up (another three-pointer from Earhart that put the score 23-23), then left it behind. Ashley Holmes’ aggressive steals (one of which led to a fastbreak for a score) and her efforts for rebounds continued to inspire teammates, and her little sister, sophomore post Kayla Holmes, got the message. Kayla Holmes sprang up for a rebound, then posted back up for a score, which edged the Trotters further ahead, 27-23. Kayla Holmes then flew through for a steal during the Lady Trojans’ attempt at an offensive play, and was fouled. Other tower post Leah Thompson also made a rebound-post up-shot and that put the Trotters to 29 points over the Lady Trojans stagnant 23. Phillips swooped in for a fastbreak into a layup after a pass from Earhart, and with that, the Totters were into the 30s point margin. The Lady Trojans finally answered with a basket, and senior Jessica Hansen was all over the rebound. Thompson brought in yet another rebound-to-post up shot, and the score was put to 33-26 with 29 seconds left in the game. The Lady Trojans tried to summon some offensive effort, but the Trotters had run away with the game. The Trotters regained possession of the ball following a turnover from the Lady Trojans, and what resulted was an awe-inspiring shot from sophomore Hailey Phillips. On the buzzer, Phillips bucketed a three-pointer, and made the final score a victorious 36-26. The crowd, and the teammates, went wild with joy.

“It night not have been pretty, but it’s a win,” head coach Richard Griffin said. “For the Trotters to come back after a first half like that, it says a lot about them and their fight to never give up.”