Lady Loggers down Troy by 16

Approaching the game with newfound

aggression, the Troy High School girls basketball appeared as

though they might at least give Class A Libby a scare on Thursday

night in a non-league matchup.

The first time the two teams played on

Jan. 13, Libby rolled to an early lead and ended up with a 34-point

victory. This time, the Lady Loggers had to work a bit harder but

still grabbed the victory, 43-27.

“We did much better … their pressure

got us a little bit and that was the difference in the game,” Troy

coach Neil Newton said. “That second quarter, that was it.”

Newton was referring to Libby’s 9-0 run

over the duration of the second quarter. The 13-point halftime lead

was too much for the Trojans to overcome in the second half.

“We knew these Troy girls were improved

and we knew if we weren’t ready to play them and were flat-footed,

they could drive the ball to the basket, which they did,” Libby

coach Jim May said. “They missed some shots there in the first half

otherwise it would’ve been a lot closer.”

The game was tied twice in the first

quarter at 6-6 and 8-8. The Lady Loggers finished strong with two

unanswered baskets over the final 2:30 – jumpshots by Sheena Good

and Alysha Martin – for a 12-8 lead.

In the second quarter, Libby blanked

the Trojans. Junior Kim Tangen worked hard inside for a basket just

26 seconds in and then she scored on a second-chance shot about 3

minutes in to help Libby pull away. Jaime Gilden scored with 3:31

left in the first half for the Lady Loggers’ first double-digit

lead at 18-8.

Still, Libby didn’t seem to be firing

on all cylinders.

“This isn’t the rhythm we wanted, this

isn’t the pace we wanted,” May said. “We had some big enough plays

down the stretch there that we can build on in practice but we’ve

got to get back in traffic.”

Libby got its lead up to 23-8 in the

third quarter to complete a 15-0 run. Troy broke the spell with a

5-0 run of its own on a jumper by Kimmy Klin, free throw by

Michaela Curry and a long two-pointer by Jackie Pepiot. Jordan

Williams then blocked a shot with 5:10 left in the third and it

seemed as though Troy had stolen the momentum.

But Libby regained its composure and

led by a dozen by the end of the quarter. In the fourth, both teams

lit up the scoreboard more as the Loggers pulled away for good.

Pepiot led Troy scorers with 11

points.

Libby had three players hit double

figures with 14 by Gilden and 10 each by Martin and Logan Best.

Gilden also had 10 rebounds, seven steals and two blocks.

Libby 43, Troy 27

Thursday at Troy Activity Center

Scoring by Quarters:

Libby 12 9  6 16—43

Troy    8  0 7  12—27

LIBBY (43)

Martin 4 2-3 10, Gilden 6 2-2 14, Best

2 6-8 10, Barton 1 0-0 2, Tangen 2 0-4 4, Good 1 0-0 2, Walker 0

1-2 1, Shaw 0 0-0 0, Forster 0 0-0 0, Johnson 0 0-0 0, Wilson 0 0-0

0. Totals 16 11-19 43.

TROY (27)

Cummings 0 0-0 0, Olds 0 0-0 0, Hines 0

0-0 0, Klin 2 3-6 7, Pepiot 5 0-0 11, Williams 1 0-0 2, Kellie

Lundin 1 1-2 3, Katie Lundin 1 0-0 2, Curry 1 0-4 2. Totals 11 4-12

27.