Boys Basketball: Trojans fall in pair of games at home

Hitting a 3-pointer just over a minute into the season-opener on Friday night, Ryan Rayson gave the Trojan boys basketball team an early 5-2 lead.

Unfortunately, the 3-point bug hit Valley Christian senior Morgan Parsons. Just 23 seconds after Rayson’s shot, Parsons hit one of his own to tie the game. Parsons followed up with another for the lead, and then another for an 11-5 advantage. The Eagles never trailed again and eventually pulled away for a 71-46 victory.

“I think some of our inexperience showed tonight and they’re a good team,” first-year Troy coach Cory Andersen said. “We’re pretty much a team of guards and that’s where we have a shortage.”

Stillwater Christian followed on Saturday with a 59-48 win over the Trojans on the second day of the Troy Tournament.

In the Friday loss, Troy hung with the Eagles through the first quarter. The Trojans were getting points from a variety of players, including six by senior Jake Alexander. But Valley Christian opened the second quarter with a 7-0 run to take control.

“There was too much fouling,” Andersen said. “It’s tough to win if we let a team shoot 30 free throws.”

Valley Christian scored 23 points on 35 free-throw attempts. Meanwhile, the Trojans made just 6-of-17 from the line.

Troy managed to hang around and a comeback seemed possible with a 39-28 deficit at the break. But the Eagles built a 50-35 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

“We played some young guys, sophomores, juniors,” Andersen said. “We definitely have work to do. It was a good starter game to see where we need to get better.”

Alexander had a team-high 15 points for the Trojans on 6-of-14 shooting, which included a trio of 3-pointers. Rayson, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Trent Cratty finished with nine pints and dished out five assists.

Troy held a 40-34 advantage on the boards. Valley Christian’s Parsons ended up with 22 points, including 9-for-11 from the free-throw line.

On Saturday, Stillwater led 29-19 at halftime and upped its advantage to 15 points heading into the fourth. Troy got hot in the final quarter by scoring 21 points but the deficit was too deep to overcome.

Three Troy players hit double figures in scoring – Brian Hammrich with 16, Cratty with 11 and Rayson with 10.

Troy is scheduled to play at at home against Thompson Falls on Friday.

Valley Christian 71, Troy 46

Friday at Troy

VALLEY CHRISTIAN (71)

Parsons 5 9-11 22, Bohlken 2 4-8 6, Roberts 2 4-4 9, Schmautz 8 3-6 19, Huber 3 0-0 7, Glidewell 0 1-2 1, Wiley 0 0-0 0, Collie 0 2-2 2, Petersen 0 0-0 0, No. 41 0 0-2 0, Norberg 1 0-0 3, Seagraves 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 23-35 71.

TROY (46)

Rayson 3 3-7 10, Alexander 6 0-0 15, Cratty 4 1-4 9, Roeder 0 0-0 0, Hammrich 1 0-0 2, Curry 1 0-0 2, Higgins 0 0-3 0, Orr 1 0-0 2, Hoffman 2 2-2 6, Hickman 0 0-0 0, Gregory 0 0-1 0. Totals 18 6-17 46.

Three-Pointers–Valley Christian 6 (Parsons 3, Roberts, Huber, Norberg), Troy 4 (Alexander 3, Rayson). Rebounds–Valley Christian 34 (No. 41 6), Troy 40 (Rayson 8). Assists–Valley Christian 9 (Schmautz 5), Troy 12 (Cratty 5). Total Fouls–Valley Christian 22, Troy 27. Fouled Out–Higgins, Hammrich, Cratty. Technical Fouls–None.

Stillwater Christian 59, Troy 48

Saturday at Troy

Stillwater Christian—Burton 19, Tapp 10, Holladay 12, Brag 15, Legassey 2, Thompson 1.

Troy—Rayson 10, Alexander 5, Cratty 11, Hammrich 16, Higgins 2, Hoffman 2, Roeder 2.