Trojans tyrannize Eagles
By: Aaron Pyle
In the previous matchup for the Lady Trojans, Feb. 25, Girard was defeated by St. Mary’s-Colgan (11-9) 41-39. Sophomore Lyllian Howard made a significant effort in the paint despite the loss finishing the game with 18 points in Tuesday’s matchup. Following the loss, the Trojans stayed home, Feb. 27, for a ‘senior night’ matchup against Uniontown (15-4).
Uniontown came out strong in the first quarter forcing turnovers on the Trojans and pushing the ball in the fastbreak. The up-tempo pace kept the Lady Trojans from cutting the deficit early on.
A 6-0 run to begin the second quarter helped the Lady Trojans take back the lead credited to Girard’s ability to cause turnovers and push the ball in transition. Sophomores Faith Poland and Olivia Cullen kept the momentum rolling attacking the inside of the paint to push the Girard lead further. At halftime, Girard led Uniontown 25-17.
In the second half, the two sides came out cold turning the ball over as offensive production was held to a minimum. Both teams found themselves unable to execute on opportunities at the rim. The Lady Trojans lead grew to double-digits at the two-minute mark as Girard began to pick it back up again offensively while the Eagles remained cold.
From there, the Lady Trojans (12-8) retained their double-digit lead capturing a 50-27 victory over Uniontown (15-4). Poland finished the game with 11-points leading the Lady Trojans to claim the victory. Cullen’s work in the paint had the sophomore finish the game with eight points.
For the boys, narrowly defeated the St. Mary’s-Colgan Panthers in the previous matchup, Feb. 25, 40-38. Junior Logan Thomas led the way for Girard to finish the game with 11 points. After the win, Feb. 27, Girard stayed home to face the Uniontown Eagles (14-5) in a non-conference contest to close the regular season.
The Eagles came out hot to begin the game going on a 5-0 run but Girard quickly responded going on their run and eventually taking the lead midway through the first. Junior Rigby Born provided a bulk of the offense in the first scoring five of Girard’s 16 points.
Girard then began to create turnovers off the Eagles which then led to transition opportunities for the Trojans. The Trojans were able to get going from outside as well as inside outscoring Uniontown in the second quarter, 16-10, to take a 40-23 lead at halftime.
In the second half, the Trojans continued to get baskets at the rim in transition as the Eagles remained cold from the field. At the five minute mark of the third quarter, the Trojans lead reached 20+ and Girard never looked back. Girard (9-11) went on to win 56-34 over the Eagles (14-6).
Rigby Born led the Trojans in scoring Thursday night finishing the game with 16 points. Freshman Alex Coester tallied 13 points as sophomore Wyatt Foley compiled 11 in the victory.
For the Trojan basketball teams, the 4A Sub-state Bracket schedule is TBA.