Playing without starters Jaren Whitney and Max McNabb, and starting Friday night’s Grand River Conference home game with South Harrison down, the Trenton Bulldogs were suddenly staring at the very real possibility of starting conference play 0-2, a less-than-ideal spot for a team hopeful of challenging for the GRC East title in 2018-2019.
The remainder of the first quarter turned into perhaps the best eight minutes of basketball played in a Trenton uniform by senior Dylan Harris, who scored 17 of the Bulldogs 19 points in the first, leading THS to a 19-15 lead. Holding off a series of South Harrison challenges in the final three quarters, Trenton, buoyed by strong bench play in the second quarter, and a superb all-around game from Dalton Burchett, won 53-46, leaving both Bulldog boys teams sitting at 4-4 overall and 1-1 in GRC East play heading into the weekend.
In a game broadcast on Hot Country Z 101.7, Harris finished the night with 27 points for Trenton, including a pair of crucial three-balls in the fourth quarter. Burchett, inserted in the starting lineup for McNabb, had 11 points, but shined for THS on the defensive end, playing a superlative game filled with tipped passes, steals, and rebounds. South Harrison, unable to follow Tuesday’s night’s triumph over Maysville with a road win, had 17 points from sophomore Braydon Sunderman, with Cody Weller adding 12.
The girls game proved to be lopsided from the outset, as state-ranked Trenton blew out the rebuilding South Harrison ladies, 71-20. Ainsley Tolson continued her assault of Rebekah Capeder’s all-time scoring record for the Lady Bulldogs, with a 24 point night leaving her 16 points shy of Capeder’s total of 1,390, heading into Tuesday night’s home tilt with Gallatin. Maci Moore and McKayla Blackburn both tallied 10 points for Trenton (8-0, 2-0), For South Harrison (1-6, 0-2), both Keatyn Eller and Emily Miller had six points.
In Friday night GRC action heard on KTTN FM 92.3, the Princeton Tigers split a varsity doubleheader at Gallatin, with the Lady Tigers winning 44-38, while the Bulldog boys had a strong game on their home floor, beating Princeton, 72-55.
Payton Goodin led the Lady Tigers in the opener with 16 points, as PHS evened its GRC mark at 1-1 (after a Tuesday night loss to Trenton). Gallatin was paced by 16 points from Kelsey Maxwell.
Tristen Gibson had 31 points for the Bulldogs in the boys game, with Riley Holmes adding 13, and Landon Corwin 11 points. Preston Thomas had 18 points for the Tigers, with Logan Dunkin adding 10, with Princeton, coming off a home win over Trenton on December 11th, dropping to 1-1 in GRC East play.
Other scores from Friday, December 14, 2018 were:
GIRLS:
Milan 65, Maysville 58 (Lady ‘Cats improve to 2-0 in GRC East)
Putnam County 58, Polo 54
Winston 55, Gilman City 44
Albany 65, Pattonsburg 42
North Andrew 51, King City 28
Bucklin/Macon County 44, Novinger 39
East Buchanan 60, Penney 51
Stanberry 71, Braymer 38
Plattsburg 52, North Platte 48
Mid-Buchanan 61, Lathrop 47
Brashear 46, Meadville 35
Worth County 60, St. Joseph Christian 54
Grundy County 53, Newtown-Harris 17
BOYS:
Milan 63, Maysville 29 (Wildcats 2-0 in GRC East)
Putnam County 77, Polo 50
Winston 65, Gilman City 18
Grundy County 66, Newtown-Harris 39
North Andrew 72, King City 38
Meadville d. Brashear
Stanberry 45, Braymer 44
West Nodaway 44, Osborn 42
Pattonsburg 73, Albany 48
Worth County 49, St. Joseph Christian 35
East Buchanan 74, Penney 47
Lathrop 57, Mid-Buchanan 40
St. Pius 61, Hogan Prep 38
