All roads lead to Bigfork after Troy shuts down Eureka Lions
Troy’s boys basketball team claimed another conference win over county rival Eureka on senior night Friday, pushing its record to 7-10, 6-2 in conference.
The Trojans were pushed nearly to the brink against the winless Lions, but prevailed 51-46 thanks to a 21-point fourth quarter, including 10 points from junior guard Gabe Hickman.
As the second-place team in District 7-B, Troy will host third-place Thompson Falls Thursday evening, but all roads lead to Bigfork.
The Vikings are undefeated in conference and were ranked No. 1 in Class B before No. 3 Florence knocked them off this weekend.
Troy lost to Stillwater Christian 50-32 on Thursday and lost 44-31 to Mission on Saturday. The most important game, however, was the win over the Eureka Lions.
“You’ve got to give them credit,” Troy Head Coach Cory Andersen said of the 0-18 Lions. “They came out ready to play.”
Going into the fourth quarter, the Trojans led by just three points, 30-27. An offensive explosion in the last period made up for the problems in the first half.
“Shooting has not been our strong point this season,” Andersen said. “We’ve struggled with our youth.”
Troy was paced by Hickman’s 22 points. Freshman post Sean Opland added 19 after having to step up in junior Bruce Metz’s place. Metz was sidelined by a leg injury, but is expected to return for the Thompson Falls game.
Senior guard Austin Grable had five points on his senior night, but thought he could have done more to help the win.
“Offensively, I could have hit a few more shots,” he said. “But overall, it was pretty good.”
Grable is the only senior, and the youthful squad will come back experienced next season.
Troy will host the Thompson Falls Bluehawks on Thursday night.
Troy 51, Eureka 46
Eureka 4 9 14 19 — 46
Troy 9 7 14 21 — 51
Eureka: Trey Bohne 14, Tanner Blankers 13, Dalton Smith 10, Cameron Griffin 7, Richard Roo 2.
Troy: Gabe Hickman 22, Sean Opland 19, Austin Grable 5, Gage Tallmadge 3, Luke Haggerty 2.