Behind Tolson’s 35, Trenton wins at Brookfield, going to 2-0 in GRC,

The swift improvement of the Trenton varsity boy’s basketball team was on full display on Tuesday night, as the Bulldogs rode a dominant 35 point performance from senior forward Kiefer Tolson, buoyed by 11 points, including a trio of three-point shots from Isaac Dixon, to a 67-55 victory.

The win improves Trenton to an early 2-0 start in Grand River Conference play, heading into a Friday night showdown with Gallatin, a fellow 2-0 GRC squad with a 7-2 overall mark following Tuesday’s home win against South Harrison. 

Equally as important to Trenton’s solid offense output was the defensive advantage the Bulldogs had from their front-line, as the majority of Brookfield’s points came from the perimeter, as Elijah Miller and Hunter Smith blocked multiple shots, and used their size to force a number of Brookfield misses from inside the paint. 

The victory improves THS to above the .500 mark, at 4-3.  Miller had six points and Smith five on the offensive end.  Tolson had 16 points in the first half and helped close out Brookfield’s hopes of a fourth-quarter rally with 12 points over the final eight minutes of the game.  Here is THS head coach Jon Guthrie: 

Brookfield, in falling to 2-5 on the season, is now 0-2 in the GRC, having fallen to Putnam County in a three-point game last week.  The Bulldogs were led by 21 points from Phoenix Jordan and 14 points from Hayden DeJong.

With two of their three losses to state-ranked Chillicothe and East Buchanan, Guthrie is very pleased with the direction of his Trenton Bulldogs: 

The GRC doubleheader, broadcast on KGOZ FM 101.7, saw a slow start for the Trenton girls, as the Lady Bulldogs fell behind 8-0 midway through the first quarter.   During a timeout to slow momentum, head coach Steve Richman went to an aggressive full-court press. 

The press both allowed Trenton’s girls to get their feet in motion following the hour-long bus ride, and rattled Brookfield, as the Lady ‘Dogs shooting percentage dipped and the turnovers increased rapidly.  By the end of the quarter, Trenton had grabbed a 14-11 advantage and never gave the lead back, winning 42-29. 

The Lady Bulldogs of THS leaned heavily on the starting backcourt of Mirena King and Astrid Soriano for points, with King netting 25 and Soriano 13 points.  The only other points for Trenton came from Kaylor Hodge (3) and Kimberly Clark (1).   Trenton is now 5-2 on the season, breaking a two-game losing skid, and 1-1 in the Grand River Conference, rebounding from last week’s buzzer-beating loss to South Harrison. 

Brookfield falls to 1-1 in GRC play and 3-4 overall, with Greenlee McCollum scoring 10 points and Gracyn Beckman eight for the Lady ‘Dogs. 

Trenton’s GRC doubleheader with Gallatin, set for Friday night from the THS gymnasium, will be broadcast on KGOZ FM 101.7, with pregame coverage starting up at 5:50.  Tom Johnson will have the call of the action.

Other high school basketball scores from Tuesday, December 17, 2024: 

GIRLS: 

Marceline 65, Putnam County 44

Maysville 34, Polo 30 

South Harrison 49, Gallatin 28 

Albany 44, Worth County 28 

King City 44, Stanberry 34

Princeton 64, North Harrison 22

Milan 53, Brashear 36 (NCMC Holiday Hoops @ Trenton) (Milan – Marian Dabney 26 points, Amy Pickering 19) 

Gilman City 49, Pattonsburg 28 

Tri-County 42, St. Joseph Christian 36 

Lawson 59, Cameron 54 (2 OT’s) 

DeKalb 53, Stewartsville/Osborn 29 

Grundy R-V/Newtown-Harris 56, Hale/Bosworth 23 (Lexa Stonger 16, Kinsley Allnutt 13 for G/NH)

Chillicothe 48, Macon 35

Higbee 63, Norborne 28 

Platte Valley 41, East Atchison 36 

Grain Valley 50, Kearney 37 

Knob Noster 66, Richmond 27 

Meadville 61, Linn County 2 

Odessa 46, Maryville 45

Kirksville 52, Mexico 49 

Hannibal 66, Moberly 19 

North Platte 54, Mound City 33 

Lathrop 53, Orrick 15

Wellington-Napoleon 42, Penney 27 

BOYS: 

Gallatin 57, South Harrison 44

Maysville 70, Polo 30 

Putnam County 76, Marceline 47 

Milan 79, Brashear 67 (NCMC Holiday Hoops @ Trenton) 

Princeton 83, North Harrison 38 

Worth County 48, Albany 45 

Stanberry 47, King City 45 

Gilman City 70, Pattonsburg 65 (OT) 

St. Joseph Christian 77, Tri-County 50 

Brunswick 1, Breckenridge 0 (Forfeit) 

Cameron 58, Lawson 49 

Stewartsville/Osborn 83, DeKalb 20 

Hale 77, Grundy R-V/Newtown-Harris 46 (Hunter Miller with 35 points from G/N-H)

Chillicothe 63, Macon 35

Higbee 75, Norborne 24 

Platte Valley 60, East Atchison 36

Grain Valley 56, Kearney 36 

Meadville 60, Linn County 54 

Maryville 64, Odessa 50 

Mexico 55, Kirksville 38 

Moberly 69, Hannibal 53

Richmond 77, Knob Noster 26

St. Paul Lutheran 59, Carrollton 33