Troy ladies drop a pair, boys get road win
On the road in Ronan, the Trojans (1-2, 3-4) were able to pull away in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game behind 12 of senior Gabe Hickman’s 21 points.
“Gabe had a big game,” Troy Coach Cory Andersen said. “We played fairly well, and I was happy with our defense.”
Senior Luke Haggerty suffered from an illness and was only able to play half the game. Sophomore starter Sean Opland also missed time after rolling his ankle.
The game was tied 21-21 at half, and the Trojans led 31-29 going into the fourth quarter against the Chiefs.
Junior Gage Tallmadge chipped in 10 points for the Trojans. Jarred Dupuis led Ronan (1-7) with 11 points. He was the only Chief in double figures.
“We had some things go against us on the road,” Andersen said. “But we were able to pull it out.”
Andersen expects Opland to play Friday when Troy hosts Eureka (2-1, 4-4) at 6 p.m.
Bigfork 55, Troy 30:
In earlier action, the Trojans fell Friday at home against Bigfork (3-0, 7-0), 55-30.
With no starter shorter than 6-foot-1-inch, the Vikings posed a serious challenge for a team without a starter taller than six feet.
“They have good size inside,” Andersen said. “And some tough players to handle.”
A pair of six-foot-seven-inch seniors, Christian Evans and Cameron Nissen, made life miserable for Trojans looking for easy baskets inside, blocking numerous shots.
The sizable Bigfork cheering section erupted midway through the first quarter when Evans soared for a two-handed, fast-break jam. One minute later, Bigfork point guard Isaac Martel blocked a shot on the defensive end, pushed the ball in transition, and delivered a silky, no-look right-handed pass to Evans for an easy layup. At the end of the first quarter, Bigfork led 13-1.
The Trojans found their offensive flow in the second quarter, scoring 11 points. Gage Tallmadge’s three-pointer one minute into the second frame made it 15-6, but Bigfork stormed into halftime on a 16-6 run.
The teams split the third quarter, 12-12, before Bigfork won the fourth, 12-5.
“Defensively, I thought we played well,” Andersen said. “We have to find ways to get better scoring opportunities when we play them next.”
Ronan 55, Troy 25: At Ronan, the Lady Trojans were upended by a lack of depth when a 24-21 third quarter deficit exploded into a 55-25 defeat.
“They started running on us and closed on a 31-4 run,” Troy Coach Justin Young said. “I really thought we played our best quarter of basketball in the second quarter. The girls were really moving and clicking on offense.”
The Lady Trojans won the second quarter 9-6 and entered halftime down 20-15.
Troy junior post Caitlin Johnston led all scorers with 14 points. Kellie Lundin and Taylor Brown were the only two other Lady Trojans to score, posting nine and two, respectively.
Nine players scored for the Maidens. Aspen Jore led with 10 points.
Bigfork 39, Troy 7: At Troy, the Lady Trojans were down 18-0 midway through the second quarter before freshman starter Sami Rohrich’s banked free throw got Troy on the board. The Lady Trojans struggled against Bigfork’s full-court press and superior depth. Eight players scored for Bigfork.
Troy’s Taylor Brown closed the first half with an impressive spinning layup to make it 22-5. Rohrich was recognized for her sportsmanship at the end of the game with a Sportsmanship Recognition Award from US Bank.