Troy boys fall to Plains, 44-37

The Troy boys basketball team lost a narrow decision to Plains on Saturday night, mainly due to the fact that the Horsemen outscored the Trojans 21-13 down the stretch.

Troy led by one point heading into the fourth quarter, but Plains rallied to a 44-37 victory in the District 7B contest.

“Offensively we didn’t shoot the ball well, we didn’t take advantage of free throws,” Troy head coach Jerry Mee said after the game. “We just gotta shoot the ball better and take better shots.”

Troy raced out to a 6-2 lead only minutes into the first quarter. All six of those points came from behind the arc by senior guard Brennan Olds. Trojan senior Gage Tallmadge sank two free throws and some easy buckets to give the Trojans a 13-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Plains had a better second quarter, outscoring Troy 8-5. But the Trojans still held an 18-16 lead at halftime.  

Troy opened up the third quarter with a bucket, but Plains answered right back to keep the game close. The teams kept the score close heading into the fourth quarter, with Troy holding a shaky 24-23 lead.

In the fourth quarter, the Horsemen eventually got the better of the Trojans. Trojan junior Kolten Winebark hit a three-pointer that would have given the Trojans a one-point lead, but it was waved off by the officials due to three seconds in the key.

Mee said that was a dagger in the heart of the Trojans, as the Horsemen took over and dominated the remaining minutes of the game.

“We had a chance with a three but we had a three seconds, or we would have been up,” Mee said. “After that they spread the floor and we overcommitted a few times. When we had to go man it threw us out of our defensive game plan and gave them a few easy baskets. They did a great job handling the ball.”

Gage Tallmadge lead the way for the Trojans netting 18 points on the night, while Brennan Olds had 11. Junior Sean Opland racked up six points while fellow junior Kolten Winebark added two points.

Horseman Ryan Ovitt led all scorers with 19 points.

The Trojans will be back in action Jan. 29 against Libby.

Plains- 8  8  7  21_44

Troy- 13  5  6  13_37