Two players who struggled to find their offensive games in Friday night’s Grand River Conference boys championship game combined to create one of the biggest shots in the history of the Trenton High School boys basketball program, as the Bulldogs beat #9 ranked (Class 2 MBCA) Stanberry 51-49 in a game broadcast on Hot Country Z 101.7.
Two Trenton starters, Corbyn Guile and Dylan Harris, had failed to score a single point throughout the course of the game, as a 5-0 run by the GRC West champions from Stanberry had given the visitors a chance to rip the game away from Trenton, and head home with the conference crown. Stanberry controlled possession had the clock hit the final 12 seconds of regulation. Tom Johnson had the play-by-play call:
Corbyn Guile created the steal that led to the breakout by Dylan Harris, who raced down-court and pulled up from the left-wing for the winning points. Head Coach Jeremy Austin attempted to explain what he saw in the game’s final moments:
Trenton’s usually balanced offense leaned heavily on the senior duo of Spencer Harris and Connor Cotton in the win, with Harris finishing with 23 points, including four 3-point shots, while Cotton, in a head-to-head battle with Stanberry center Brad Hailey, more than held his own with a 19 point evening. In its first year in conference play since the 1980’s, Trenton’s boys win the Grand River Conference title, moving to 16-6 on the season, and 8-0 to complete conference play.
The Trenton High School gymnasium was packed for the boy’s title tilt, with the finish leaving the partisans from THS headed home happy from a memorable Friday night:
Stanberry, in dropping to 17-4 overall and 6-2 in GRC play, was led by 20 points from Brad Hailey, including eight in the final quarter, while Cole Craig added 15 points. Tristin Stoll had nine points, all in the middle two quarters, and Cory Luke had five points, including a three-point shot to tie the championship game with under one minute to play.
Trenton will host Stanberry again next Friday night, with the 7:30 boys game following the 6 o’clock girls contest on Hot Country Z 101.7.
Other inter-divisional boys scores from the Grand River Conference’s “Crossover Friday” were:
North Andrew Cardinals 87, Putnam County Midgets 67
Braymer Bobcats 53, Maysville Wolverines 40
Worth County Tigers 78, Gallatin Bulldogs 60
King City Wildkats 59, Milan Wildcats 57
South Harrison Bulldogs 47, St. Joseph Christian Lions 42
Princeton Tigers 51, Pattonsburg Panthers 41
Polo Panthers 53, Albany Warriors 35
