Lady Trojans come from behind to beat Stillwater Christian

In a breathtaking turn of events, senior Lady Trojan Liz Straley made one 3-pointer in the fourth quarter - and then another - taking the lead away from the Cougars and never looking back, 41-34.

"I asked her where she wanted the ball, and she hit them," said Trojan coach Troy DeBoard. "Liz has been the kid we've gone to the last two years."

Although Stillwater Christian led throughout the first half, 12-9 in the first and 13-11 in the second quarter, Troy slowly pulled ahead in the second half.

Junior Alicia Anderson made six of her eight points in the second half, with Straley making all nine of her points in the fourth quarter.

Senior point guard Molly Harpole also contributed 10 points to the game, helping to keep the Trojans within striking distance in the first half, when they trailed by five.

"She should be the one of the top 10 players in the state of Montana," DeBoard said of Harpole. "She's just in a smaller market."

By the end of the third quarter Troy trailed by two but led in scoring 8-5; 13-4 in the fourth.

Senior Delsey Olds had a game-high of 11 points, with Senior Megan Etienne contributing 1 point and Sophomore Allie Maestas 2.

DeBoard described the seniors on the team as outstanding role models.

"Three seniors are the top three kids in their class," he said. "That speaks volumes to their character and dedication. They're so committed to everything that they do."

Noting 500 hours in the gym and two seasons' worth of basketball practice over the last summer, DeBoard said their chances for beating Thompson Falls tomorrow were decent.

"I've scouted them pretty well," he said. "It should be a game we win."

DeBoard said the younger team members were following the seniors' lead.

"They've made the committment to becoming a solid program and it's really been nice," he said. "We sure do have some great kids and we're doing the best we can."

He added that since the Trojans were picked last in the conference, they have beat many teams slated above them.

"We've got lots of motivation now," he said. "We're puting forth all the effort it takes to win."