Noxon, Clark Fork girls teams best Trotters
Noxon sophomore standout Avery Burgess fights for the opening tip with Plains sophomore Kimmy Curry Friday night in Plains. (Chuck Bandel/Valley Press)
The Plains Trotters came into last week’s pair of games looking for their first win of the year.
Unfortunately they ran into a team led by one of the best players in the conference and a team battling for the league lead.
They came close Friday night before a sizable crowd of home fans and a vocal group of Noxon boosters, but despite a valiant second half comeback attempt, the Trotters fell to the visiting Lady Red Devils 53-42.
The following night they met up with an up-and-coming young Clark Fork team and came out on the losing end of a 57-29 score in a game played in Superior.
Against Noxon, the Trotters had no answer for Lady Red Devils Avery Burgess. The silky smooth sophomore rained down a series of net-swooshing 3-pointers throughout the game on her way to 27 points.
Burgess scored two of her five 3s in the first quarter as she and the Lady Red Devils fought to a slim 12-9 lead in the first eight minutes of play. She followed that long-distance display with another trey and a pair of mid-range jumpers as the Lady Red Devils outscored Plains 18-8 in the second quarter and took a 30-17 halftime lead.
But as they have done all season, the Trotters showed grit and never-say-die toughness in the opening eight minutes of the second half, when they out-pointed Noxon 18-8, shaving 10 off the Devils lead, which shrank to 38-35 heading into the final frame.
But Burgess was too much to handle, especially from beyond the arc, dropping in a pair of momentum-stopping treys to complete her scoring outburst and hold off the Trotters’ rally.
Sophomore Carlie Wagoner paced the Trotters with a dozen points, while teammate Krystena Boes added 11.
Emily Brown added 11 points for Noxon, which was playing its first game of the year due to virus issues.
Saturday night the Trotters played in Superior where they ran into a feisty bunch of young Lady Mountain Cats, whom are battling for the conference lead as the season nears the halfway point.
In that game, the host Lady Cats scored early and often on their way to a 19-5 lead at the end of the first quarter. Clark Fork held a 32-15 lead at the intermission.
The Trotters were led in scoring by seven points from sophomore Kimmy Curry, while Clark Fork sharpshooter Darby Haskins, also a sophomore, led all scorers with 19 points.
The Lady Cats upped their conference record to 3-1 to settle into a close third behind conference leaders Charlo and Noxon.
The Red Devils got their second win of the season Saturday night with a tough 55-44 win over St. Regis in a game played in Noxon.
Next on the schedule for the Trotters is a Friday home game with Hot Springs, followed by a road trip to St. Regis Saturday night to take on the Lady Tigers.