Plains dominates Scarlets in 39-36 home game
<p><strong>Jessica Thompson prepares to pass the ball to Jade Ladeaux as she races it around the net during the Trotters’ game against Arlee.</strong></p>
PLAINS – In their Friday game against the Arlee Scarlets, the Trotters came away victorious with a final score of 39-36.
The game was close throughout. Arlee opened with an initial lead, but Plains fought back and gained on them; they pulled ahead thanks to a nice three-pointer from Kimberly Earhart. Another one from Carley VonHeeder pushed Plains into a strong lead. The first quarter closed with Plains ahead in a score of 12-9.
The second quarter saw the teams fight against one another’s defenses as neither side brought in many points throughout the intense game; the Scarlets were nearly able to tie the score, but a basket at the buzzer pushed Plains into a stronger lead of 16-13.
The Trotters broke away in the third quarter, allowing them to start gaining a lead; Arlee fought hard, though, and was able to start closing the gap. They tied the score at 1:20 on the clock and pulled ahead with only seconds to spare, closing the quarter at 22-26.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Arlee pulled ahead, but the Trotters were able to fight hard and start closing back on them. A nice three-pointer from Plains nearly tied the game, then tied the score with a free throw. The girls exchanged the lead for awhile as both teams attempted to break ahead. A free throw by VonHeeder in the final seconds gave the Trotters a small lead and let them close the game in the lead.
VonHeeder felt the game went very well. She said they were very team oriented and counted on each other to pull everything together during a tough game; if anyone started getting down or needing extra motivation, her teammates were there to offer encouragement.
“It’s a tough game, always, against Arlee, but we always pull it off,” said VonHeeder. “We just depend on each other to pick each other up.”
She also noted they brought a very tough defense to the court, given how strong a team Arlee is; she felt this was a big contributor to their victory.
They will need to work on some of their defensive strategies, though, and use ball fakes better. VonHeeder noted there were times where the Scarlets seemed to be reading their moves to know where they were sending the ball and have someone waiting there to steal it.