Bluehawks clip Trojans' wings

Any athlete ever befouled by a cold streak could sympathize with the Troy Trojans after their 60-21 loss to Thompson Falls on Jan. 28.

It can happen to anyone — any place, any time. When it happens to everyone — same place, same time — you have a problem.

Hitting the road to face the Bluehawks, the Trojans had reason for confidence. They played Thompson Falls earlier in the year. Although the Bluehawks won that round, Troy coach Justin Young felt the Trojans matched up fairly well against the Sanders County squad.

Early on Jan. 28, that looked the case. Troy and Thompson Falls battled evenly in the first quarter, though the Bluehawks took a 12-10 lead.

“Defensively, I thought we played well in the first half,” Young said, crediting Paxton Fisher with keeping Thompson Falls’ lead scorer tied up early on. Fisher also led his teammates in scoring, coming away with 13.

Then it happened. It happened suddenly. It happened to everyone.

“We just went cold,” Young said. “We couldn’t make shots as a team.”

While the Trojans had no problem hanging onto the ball, those long possessions translated into few points. Troy’s sole point of the second quarter came in the form of a free throw.

Halftime saw Thompson Falls leading 24-11.

With a Troy comeback still within reach, the third quarter began. But Troy’s inability to make shots lingered. Scoring just 10 points in the second half of the game, the Trojans yielded to the Bluehawks.

Young found positives to take away from the loss, including the Trojans’ performance on defense.

“We didn’t commit any fouls in the first half while still playing aggressively,” he added.

Fouls and free throws were at a minimum throughout the game. Troy went 2-4 from the line while Thompson Falls went 3-6.

With the regular season winding down, Troy faces matchups with Stillwater, Bigfork and Noxon in the coming weeks. The Trojans will take on Bigfork and Noxon at home.

“We’ll work on our offensive sets and shot selection,” Young said. “But, simply put, we need to knock down shots.”

T. Falls 12 12 16 20 - 60

Troy 10 1 5 5 - 21