Girls Basketball: Noxon slips past Lady Trojans

Looking for positives in a sixth straight loss this season, first-year coach Neil Newton said Saturday night following his team’s 27-18 loss to Noxon that the Lady Trojans continue to learn the game.

No doubt, Troy has a green lineup still reeling from a major loss such as Molly Harpole. But the girls pulled off a first against the Red Devils by holding a lead at the end of the first quarter (7-5). Troy also held its opponent to under 30 points – none in the fourth.

“Defensively, we played pretty well,” Newton said. “We had a few mistakes and had some miscues on defense but when you hold them to 27 points, you have to be happy.”

Noxon shot out to a 4-0 lead and the Trojans didn’t score until Allie Maestas hit a hoop at the 3:55 mark. But Troy finished the frame strong by scoring five points in the final 41 seconds.

First, Maestas hit the first of two 3-pointers for her on the night and then Alyssa Olds found the net on a feed from Kimmy Klin for a 7-5 lead.

Noxon gained the advantage in the second quarter to lead 14-12 at the break. Maestas hit her second 3-pointer to give Troy a 10-5 lead in the opening seconds of the quarter. But the Trojans scored only one more basket in the half on a Jackie Pepiot hoop on an assist from Maestas.

In the third quarter, Noxon pulled away with a 13-2 run.

“That hurt … that’s when we started having some mental lapses on defense,” Newton said.

Troy shut out the Devils in the fourth but managed only four points and could not climb out of the hole.

Maestas led Troy with 10 points on four field goals. Interestingly, Troy did not attempt a single free throw in the contest.

The Lady Trojans (0-1, 0-5) head to Mission on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. matchup. On Saturday, the girls come home to face Bigfork in another conference game. Tipoff for girls varsity is slated for 4:30 p.m.

Scoring by Quarters:

Noxon    5    9    13    0—27

Troy      7     5      2    4—18

Noxon–Marich 1 0-0 2, Swant 0 1-2 1, Larkin 6 2-3 14, Stettler 1 0-0 2, Wiltse 3 0-0 8. Totals 11 3-4 27.

Troy–Maestas 4 0-0 10, Olds 1 0-0 2, Klin 1 0-0 2, Hand 0 0-0 0, Williams 0 0-0 0, Pepiot 2 0-0 4. Totals 8 0-0 18.