Troy boys survive scare vs. Bulldogs

It was not the same team.

Back on Jan. 9, Troy romped to a 64-29 victory at St. Ignatius in a District 7-B laugher. The Bulldogs had struggled all season and entered Friday night’s rematch with the Trojans still looking for their first conference win.

Playing in the home gym, Troy had to rally from a nine-point halftime deficit to beat the pesky Bulldogs, 48-45.

Again, it was not the same team – literally.

“They had some different kids playing this time,” Troy coach Tony Smith said. “No. 33, he didn’t play against us the first time.”

Smith was referring to T.J. Cutfinger, a 5-foot-8 freshman who played beyond his years. Cutfinger’s trio of 3-pointers and 17 points helped the Bulldogs challenge Troy all evening.

“We dug ourselves a hole  … we were trying to do some different things on defense,” Smith said.

Troy had shown this season that it can play exceptional defense, whether in the man-to-man or zone. Against the Bulldogs, however, the team struggled while experimenting with a new approach.

“The thing that pleased me is we kept playing aggressive,” Smith said. “To their credit, they played well.”

Mission shot out to a 24-15 lead in the first half while shooting 57.9 percent from the field. Conversely, the Trojans couldn’t find their rhythm and converted on 30 percent of their shots.

“We talked at halftime that we have to go inside,” Smith said.

And inside the Trojans went with aggression and energy. Senior Aaron Palmer led the way and scored the first six points of the third quarter to pull Troy to within 24-21. After Clayton Kyriss scored on a fast-break pass from Palmer, the Trojans trailed by just one.

But then, the Bulldogs regained their composure and got the lead back up to eight.

In the fourth quarter, Troy finally started to hit on all cylinders. The Trojans came up with some big steals, including at least four by Brian Hammrich on the press. Troy took its first lead of the game with 5:04 remaining on a Hammrich hoop.

Still, the game would not be decided until the final seconds. Tied at 45-45, Troy went up by two with 1:27 left on a drive to the hoop by Shado Garrett. Then after Mission missed two free throws, Garrett hit 1-of-2 foul shots for a 48-45 Trojan lead.

Mission called timeout with 14 seconds left to set up its final play. Cutfinger took a 3-point attempt from the top of the key and Palmer rebounded to secure Troy’s win.

On Saturday at Arlee, the Trojans had to go to overtime for a 76-75 victory. Hammrich scored on an offensive rebound in the final seconds for the win.

“No team had more than a four-point lead the whole game,” Smith said. “They shoot good in their home gym … they just shot the lights out.”

Arlee sent the game into overtime on a half-court 3-pointer at the buzzer. Cubby Pierre hit the shot with two Troy defenders in his face.

In overtime trailing by one, Troy created a turnover off the press with less than 10 seconds remaining. Day, who scored 23 for the Trojans, put up a shot that bounced off the back of the rim. Hammrich was in position for the offensive rebound and the put-back won the game.

Troy is 3-0 in overtime games this season.

The Trojans had a balanced attack with five in double figures. Besides Day’s 23, Palmer scored 18, Kyriss and Garrett each scored 11 and Hammrich added 10.

Troy (4-3 in conference, 12-4 overall) heads to Libby on Friday before wrapping up the regular season on Saturday at home against Eureka.

It Was Over When …

Troy’s Aaron Palmer grabbed a defensive rebound off a St. Ignatius miss with three seconds left in the game. The Bulldogs’ T.J. Cutfinger attemped to tie the game on a 3-point shot but it bounced off the rim and Palmer went high for the board.

Game Ball

Palmer was responsible for nearly half of Troy’s points and almost a third of the Trojans’ rebounds. He scored 23 on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and on 7-of-9 free throws and also had eight boards.

Stat of the Game

The Trojans didn’t take their first lead of the game until 5:04 remained in the fourth quarter. Brian Hammrich scored on the play to give Troy a 37-36 advantage.

Trojans 48, Bulldogs 45

Friday at Troy

St. Ignatius (45)

Gies 5 0-2 11, McDonald 1 0-0 2, Charlo 1 2-2 5, Rohrich 3 0-0 6, Cutfinger 7 0-4 17, Matt 2 0-0 4. Totals 19 2-8 45.

Troy (48)

Kyriss 2 0-0 5, Powell 0 0-0 0, Rebo 0 0-0 0, Garrett 2 3-4 8, Palmer 8 7-9 23, Day 1 1-2 4, Jones 0 0-1 0, Hammrich 4 0-1 8. Totals 17 11-17 48.

Three-Pointers–St. Ignatius 5 (Cutfinger 3, Gies, Charlo), Troy 3 (Kyriss, Garrett, Day). Rebounds–St. Ignatius 25 (Gies 9), Troy 26 (Palmer 8). Assists–St. Ignatius 9 (Charlo 3), Troy 8 (Kyriss 2, Palmer 2, Day 2). Total Fouls–St. Ignatius 18, Troy 13. Fouled Out–None. Technical Fouls–None.

Trojans 76, Warriors 75

Overtime

Saturday at Arlee

Troy (76)

Day 23, Garrett 11, Palmer 18, Kyriss 11, Hammrich 10, Rebo 3.

Arlee (75)

Pierre 11, Felsman 10, Bridgewater 9, Pfau 6, O’Neill 18, McClure 7, Matt 14.