Trojans seize CNC titles

BY NICK CORN

Girard traveled to the 3A Riverton Rams Friday night for what became their biggest games of the year, with the chance to clinch a pair of CNC championships.

The No. 3 Lady Trojans delivered their knockout punch early in the night, gaining a lead of more than 20 points before halftime, before cruising to their title-clinching victory.  They improved to 17-2 on the season and 6-0 in CNC play.

The boys’ game featured a highly anticipated matchup between the first-ranked 4A-II Trojans and the third-ranked 3A Rams.  The Trojans built a solid halftime lead before the Rams would storm back in the second half, but Girard improved to 19-0 and are one win away from an undefeated regular season.

Lady Trojans dominate Riverton

Kelli Cuthbertson initiated Girard’s first basket of the game with a steal and a dish to Sydnee Crain for the deuce.   The Rams would counter by sinking one of two free throws, but three minutes into the game, the score remained 2-1.

After a Lady Trojan timeout, Girard exploded for a 14-1 run.  Girard made a living off of transition points, and the Lady Trojan run consisted of a pair of buckets from Ashley Ray, two Jacey Murphy layups and two free throws, a layup and free throw from Olivia Hanson, and it was capped off when Calea Augustin nabbed an offensive board and nailed a halfcourt buzzer beater to put Girard up 16-2 after one.

The second quarter started nearly the same as the first, but this time it was Crain assisting Cuthbertson for two.  The Lady Trojans continued their success in transition, and a bucket from Hanson put Girard up by 23 for their largest lead of the night.  Riverton would twice cut the lead to twenty, but back-to-back baskets from Hanson and Crain pushed the Girard advantaged to 36-12 by halftime.

Girard continued to turn defense into offense in the second half, and Augustin quickly found Crain for a fastbreak layup to get the third quarter underway.  After a Hanson make, Crain hit a triple and a layup around a Riverton free throw, and an Augustin field goal made it a 33-point game before the Lady Rams’ offense would wake up.

Riverton hit a pair of threes in succession, but Crain answered with a pair of makes from the charity stripe and a trey of her own.  Crain carried Girard with 11 third-quarter points, and the 53-23 advantage after 24 minutes meant a running clock would be enabled for the final eight.

The Rams knocked down a triple to start the fourth, but Girard went on an 11-0 run to put the nail in the coffin.  The Lady Trojans took a 64-28 victory.

Girard featured three double-digit scorers in the win.  Crain led the team with 17 points, Murphy recorded her season-high with 14, and Hanson added 13.

Trojans’ composure secures CNC title

A pair of Drew Davied free throws initiated the scoring in Friday’s top-five matchup, but those were matched by a pair of Riverton baskets.  Laike Damman retook the lead with a triple, and his second of the quarter made it a 10-6 Trojan advantage.

After Riverton followed a trey of their own with a deuce, Kross Hamblin hit a midrange jumper, and Girard led 12-11 after one.  They would not trail again.

Junior Lindbloom and Eric Wilson each hit trifectas around a Riverton make in the paint and a pair of Davied baskets put the Trojans up by seven.  Davied continued his hot streak with two more inside buckets, and he converted on 2-3 free throws.  His 10 straight points put the Trojans up 11, and Girard led 31-18 at the intermission.

The Rams came out hot in the second half, opening it with a steal and a deuce.  Wilson responded with a triple, but the Rams would go on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to four.  Hamblin converted an and-one opportunity, and Tyler Green sunk a pair from the charity stripe to regain momentum for the Trojans, but Riverton retaliated with an and-one of their own.  After three quarters, Girard led by six points.

The Rams would twice cut the lead to four in the early going of the fourth, but both times Girard responded on the other end.  After a free throw from Wilson put the Trojans up seven, the Rams hit a free throw of their own, and they put the heat on Girard with a two-handed monster slam that cut the lead to five points with 1:30 remaining.

The Trojans didn’t not shy away and proved in the final 90 seconds why they are the alpha dog of the CNC.  The Trojans would convert on 5-6 free throws, and Green found Lindbloom twice in a row on fullcourt passes that broke the Riverton press for layups.  The Trojans took a 60-50 victory.

Davied led the Trojans with 21 points as their lone double-digit scorer.  Damman and Wilson each added nine points, while Lindbloom contributed eight and Hamblin scored seven.

With the victory, Friday marked the first time since the 2008-2009 season that both Girard teams would earn CNC titles in the same season.  The Trojans’ final task of the season will come when they host Baxter Springs for senior night on Tuesday.  The Lady Trojans earned a 59-29 victory in their inaugural matchup, while the boys won 60-40.