Plains Trotters take the win
<p>Leah Thompson jumps to block a spike from the Superior Lady Cats. Leah Thompson jumps to block a spike from the Superior Lady Cats.</p>
PLAINS – The Plains Trotters claimed a decisive victory against the Superior Lady Cats during their game Saturday.
The game started slow for Plains with Superior pulling ahead to a big early lead. After talking things over in a time out, though, the girls rallied and were able to come back, tying the score before leaping out to the lead. The game stayed close for awhile, but the home team shot ahead again to end the period with a 10-point lead.
The Trotters kept up the momentum going into the second period, taking off to a strong lead before Superior made it onto the board. The Lady Cats started to pull back, even closing the gap significantly, but the home team was able to rebuild the advantage and keep ahead until the end. Plains closed out the period with a 12-point lead.
The final period opened with a battle of ties with neither team gaining a lead over the other. Superior started to pull ahead, but the Trotters pulled them back and started to gain a lead themselves. The exchange continued as the Lady Cats started to pull back, but then the Plains girls leapt ahead again to take the game with an 11-point win.
Head Coach Jessica Butcher was proud of her team’s performance during the game. She said they started a little flat, but recovered and pulled out of it quickly. She also noted the girls have been improving every week, having overcome of their initial problem spots, bringing in wins both at home as well as on the road. The Trotters are now 5:1 in conference.
“[They’re] a little bit shaky, but they seem to pull it together and come out with a W,” Butcher said of their away performance.
She was especially happy with the performance of the back row defensive players. The girls have been moving better and “getting scrappy.” With several tall players on the team, some may not expect them to be as dexterous and willing to take a fall as the Trotters are.
“People don’t expect big girls to be so scrappy,” Butcher said. “I appreciate that we’ve got that.”
The Plains Trotters will be at the Arlee Tournament next Saturday. They will play against other Class C teams from around the district as well as from other parts of the state.
During practices leading up to the tournament, the team has been working to improve their communication on the court.
“That’s our focus this year,” Butcher said.