Trojans sweep Panthers

By Nick Corn

 

With a pair of home victories versus St. Mary’s Colgan on Tuesday night, the Girard Trojans and Lady Trojans came one step closer to their goal of a CNC League championship. The Lady Trojans came into the night 15-2 overall (4-0 CNC), and after four quarters were able to add one to the win column. The boys improved on their 17-0 record (4-0 CNC) with a win over the Panthers, and the Trojans are now the lone undefeated team in the CNC.

Lady Trojans 
Neither team found much offensive rhythm in the first quarter, or half, but Olivia Hanson and Calea Augustin led Girard to a three-point lead after one and a nine-point advantage at halftime. Hanson and Augustin scored four points apiece to lead the Lady Trojans’ eight-point first quarter, while Girard held the Lady Panthers to just five points. Colgan’s point production came from a pair of field goals and a free throw, but they could not capitalize on three other chances from the charity stripe.

 
The Lady Panthers started the second quarter hot with a trey and a bucket inside the arch, but Girard clamped down on defense and wouldn’t allow another Colgan point. Hanson doubled her point total with four second-quarter points, and Augustin connected on Girard’s first trey of the game. Jacey Murphy converted 2-2 free throws, and Sydnee Crain picked up a basket. The Lady Trojans led 19-10 after 16 minutes.

 
In the third, Hanson, Murphy, and Crain each picked up a basket before Colgan would cut the lead to 25-12. Crain kept it rolling for Girard with a three-pointer and an old-fashioned three, and the Lady Trojans were up by a comfortable 18 points after three quarters of play.

 
Augustin opened the final quarter with her second triple of the night, and Lauren Franklin responded to a Lady Panther make with two of her own. After Colgan cut their deficit to 21, Crain converted a layup attempt and hit a trey to make it a 26-point Lady Trojan lead. In the final minute of mop-up duty, Colgan found a late spark with three triples to end the game. Nevertheless, Girard took a 45-28 victory over their CNC rival.

 
Crain led Girard with 15 points, while Augustin and Hanson each scored 10. The Lady Trojans improved to 16-2 on the season and 5-0 in league play with the victory.

Trojans run at undefeated season still in play
The first quarter of the boys’ game mirrored that of the girls’ game with a low-scoring initial eight minutes. The Panthers got on the board first with a transition layup after a Girard turnover, but Drew Davied quickly tied the game with a tip-in off a miss. After Colgan regained a two-point lead, Kross Hamblin found a bucket inside to tie it back up. Colgan would retake the lead momentarily, but Laike Damman hit a trey after taking a charge on the opposite end of the court. Girard held a 7-6 lead after one.

 
Davied began a 5-0 Trojan run to start the second when he found a bucket in the paint, but the Panthers hit a trifecta with 4:15 left in the half to make it a 12-9 game. Davied quickly transferred the momentum back in the Trojans’ favor when he picked off a Colgan pass and took it the length of the court for a two-handed slam. Damman and Garrett Bailey each hit a free throw to make it a three-point lead, but the Panthers nailed their second three in the waning seconds of the half to knot it up at 16-16 before intermission.

 
Damman started the second half by converting an old-fashioned three, and he followed that up when Davied found him in transition for a layup. After the Panthers made one of two free throws, Damman found Junior Lindbloom inside for another Trojan layup. Colgan would cut the Girard lead to four with their lone field goal of the third quarter, but the Trojans answered with a pair of free throws from both Damman and Davied. Eric Wilson then banged home a three that put Colgan in an eleven point deficit entering the fourth quarter.

 
Damman opened the fourth with a triple, and after back-to-back baskets from Lindbloom, the Panthers called a timeout with 5:53 remaining. The Trojans held a 37-19 lead. Colgan picked up two points coming out of the timeout, but Tyler Green quickly got those back for the Trojans, and a Wilson bucket put the Trojans up by 20. Despite not finding much offensive success in the first three quarters, the Panthers went on a 13-4 run to end the game, but it was too little, too late, and the Trojans took a 45-34 victory.
Damman led Girard with 16 points, and Davied scored 12. The win improved the Trojans’ record to 18-0 on the season (5-0 CNC).

 
With two games to play, Girard will travel to Riverton for a crucial matchup. With a win over Riverton, the Lady Trojans will lock up a CNC title, but they can also clinch with a win over Baxter Springs in next Tuesday’s regular season finale.

The boys can also clinch a league title with a win at Riverton. However, the Rams are not to be taken lightly, as they are ranked in the top five in 3A and boast a 16-2 (4-1 CNC) record.

 
Lady Trojans 45, Colgan 28
1Q   2Q   3Q   4Q    FINAL
GHS         8   11     14     12       45
SMC        5     5       5      13      28
Girard: Crain 15, Augustin 10, Hanson 10, Franklin 4, Murphy 4, Ray 2
3-PT FG: Augustin 2, Crain 2

 

Girard 45, Colgan 34
1Q   2Q   3Q   4Q     FINAL
GHS         7     9      14    15        45
SMC        6    10     3      13        34
Girard: Damman 16, Davied 12, J. Lindbloom 6, Wilson 5, Bailey 2, Green 2, Hamblin 2
3-PT FG: Damman 2, Wilson