Boys Basketball: Trojans step out of conference to beat Noxon

The Troy High School boys basketball team continues to be a work in progress but first-year coach Cory Andersen was pleased with a lot of aspects to the game in a 39-26 victory on Saturday night over Class C Noxon.

The Trojans steadily pulled away to improve its overall season record to 3-3.

“Overall, I thought our effort was pretty good. They had only 26 points so there are some real positives to the game,” Andersen said. “You’ve got to give Noxon credit … they made up take tough shots.”

Troy was a tad cold over the game’s first couple of minutes but led 12-9 by the end of the first. Ryan Rayson, who was getting a lot of action inside, and Brian Hammrich, another go-to guy in the middle, scored the team’s first four points. They ended the game as the top two scorers – Hammrich with 14 and Rayson with 11.

The scoreboard at Troy Activity Center went haywire for a short delay before the start of the second. By halftime, the Trojans had increased its lead to nine points – holding the Red Devils to just four points in the quarter.

“In some ways, we’re still a really young team,” Andersen said. “I’m hoping that by the end of the year, we’re not missing a lot of shots around the basket. The other thing is turnovers. We had about 20 turnovers tonight.”

Troy took its first double-digit lead 44 seconds into third on a Hammrich hoop. Noxon got back to within seven points at the 2:43 mark but Troy finished strong and led by 13 heading into the fourth. The Trojans finished with a 6-0 run on baskets by Dillon Curry and Rayson and a pair of free throws by Hammrich.

In the fourth, the two teams played evenly but the outcome was no longer in doubt. The final 3 minutes of the game was pretty much a duel at the free-throw line.

Eric Stevenson led Noxon with seven points while Chris Herbig and Banks Stocking each added six. Stevenson and Herbig may be known to locals as baseball players with Libby’s Legion program.

Troy (1-1, 3-3) gets back into conference play on Friday with a trip to Mission. The boys varsity will play at approximately 6 p.m. Back home on Saturday, the Trojans will tipoff against Bigfork at about 6 p.m.

Scoring by Quarters:

Noxon    9    4       6    7—26

Troy     12    10    10    7—39

Noxon–Herbig 2 2-5 6, Stocking 1 4-4 6, Eaton 2 0-0 4, Stevenson 3 0-2 7, Wilkinson 1 0-0 3. Totals 9 6-11 26.

Troy–Rayson 5 1-2 11, Alexander 2 0-0 4, Curry 2 0-0 4, Higgins 1 0-0 2, Hickman 2 0-0 4, Hammrich 5 4-5 14. Totals 17 5-7 39.