Trojans host Loggers on Saturday night
A Lincoln County hoops rivalry will be renewed Saturday when Libby High School and Troy High School take to the hardwood. The rivalry is a friendly one — many athletes are teammates in other sports such as baseball — but an exciting one nonetheless.
“I think the intensity of the rivalry is still there among the older generation,” Libby Coach Wally Winslow said. “It’s always a rivalry playing your closest neighbor, but with the players it is not bitter.”
The Loggers (0-1, 0-3) will travel to Troy (0-1, 1-2) on Saturday in search of their first win. The Trojans are coming off their first win of the season against the Noxon Red Devils. Both teams will look to shake some rust after a long holiday break.
“We are hoping to come out sharp,” Troy Coach Corey Andersen said. “After vacation it is hard to get back in the groove.”
Both teams will play Friday before meeting in Troy. The Loggers will travel to Glacier. The Trojans are away at Thompson Falls. Both teams’ lady counterparts will also travel to the away games.
“The teams are well-acquainted with each other,” Andersen said. “It’s always been a good game for the kids and the schools to enjoy the competition.”
With plenty of varsity experience, the Trojans enter the game as favorites. The Libby game will also mark the return of senior Luke Haggerty after an off-the-court issue.
The Loggers come off of what Winslow calls a strong week of practice. Libby resumed its regular practice schedule Dec. 27 and Winslow said his team has tweaked its zone defense to be a bit more aggressive. He also said his players are exhibiting greater cohesion on the offensive end.
Andersen said his team filled the gap in the schedule with more offensive drills than his teams normally run.
“Usually, we’re working more on defensive rebounding but with this group we’re focusing on offensive patience,” Andersen said. “We want to play fast but not in a hurry. Libby will be a good test.”
The boys will tip off at 7 p.m. at the Troy Sports Complex. The boys game will be preceeded by the girls game, which starts at 5:30 p.m.
The Lady Trojans (0-1, 1-2) are also looking to build on their first win of the season after a Dec. 21 victory in Noxon.
“This is always an exciting one,” Lady Trojans Coach Justin Young said. “The crowd is going to be as big as it’s gonna get in our gym.”
Troy will be down a significant player as freshman guard Allie Brown will be out for several weeks with a case of mononucleosis. The initial prognosis is a month away from the court, but Young is hoping he will get his young sharpshooter earlier.
“We are going to miss her ball-handling skills,” Young said. “Without her we will have to look to Kellie (Lundin).”
The Lady Loggers (1-0, 1-3) split the county series with Troy last season. Libby is also coming off its first win after downing Whitefish at home, 49-30.
“At times we have been real patient on the offensive end,” Lady Loggers Coach Jim May said. “On defense we have done a good job of setting the tempo and being tough to score on with our aggression.”
May mentioned cutting down on turnovers and improving defensive rebounding as his team’s primary areas of focus since they returned to regular practices on Dec. 27.
“We’ve had a good set of practices,” May said. “We’re ready to play.”