Girard suffers pair of losses in last night of tourney

By Nick Corn

In the championship game of the Wilson County Tournament hosted by Neodesha, the Trojans had an off night on the offensive side of the ball and the boys were never able to get in rhythm, which resulted in a 20-55 loss to Independence.  The blowout victory was not a new occurrence for the Bulldogs, as they beat Fredonia by 22 points and Bluestem by 43 in their previous games during the tournament.  Girard had also won big in their first two tournament games with wins of 22 and 21 versus Erie and Caney Valley, respectively.  In the first quarter of action, the Trojans started the game with a layup from Drew Davied, but the Bulldogs scored nine straight points before Austin O’Dell hit a shot for Girard.  After the first period Independence was up 11-4.  Girard’s struggles continued in the second as Independence took the quarter 21-5, and took a 32-9 lead into the intermission. 

It may be cliché to say, but the game seemed to be much closer than the scoreboard indicated.  The Trojans were getting high-percentage shots in the lane but just could not get them to fall, and they also missed four free throws in the half, including the front end of a one-and-one.  Independence’s speed and athleticism took its toll in the second half, as well as a hot streak on offense at the beginning of the third quarter.  The first four shots of the half fell for the Bulldogs, including two three-pointers, before Davied could get the Trojans on the board with a two-point basket.  Those would be the only two points Independence would surrender in the quarter, while they put up 17 points of their own.  Down by 38 going into the fourth, the Trojans were finally able to slow the Bulldogs down, as they only allowed Independence six points in the final period.  Girard scored nine of their own, with Tyler Green scoring five, Davied scoring 4, and Garrett Bailey with two points.  With the loss, Girard falls to 5-6 on the year. 

Lady Trojans

The Lady Trojans ended the tournament with a loss to Caney Valley in the third place game.  Their record is now 4-7.  Girard has a full schedule of games to play this coming week as they will travel to Pittsburg on Monday, to Galena on Tuesday, and to Riverton on Friday. Galena and Riverton will both be CNC league games for Girard.

Trojan Boys Jan 25 Box Score
Girard 20, Indepence 55
	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final
GHS	4	5	2	9	20
IHS	11	21	17	6	55
Girard:  Davied 6, Green 5, O’Dell 4, Bailey 4, Damman 1