Surging Trenton Bulldogs hammer Braymer in semifinals, face powerful Penney on Saturday night

The Trenton Bulldogs dominated the final 12 minutes of Thursday night’s semifinal game at the Hamilton Invitational Tournament, taking a close game and riding the brilliant play of senior center Connor Cotton to a 61-31 win over the Braymer Bobcats at Penney High School.

In a game broadcast on Hot Country Z 101.7, Cotton scored a game-high 25 points, with the Bobcats finding an answer to slow down the talented senior difficult.  Lathan Croy continued his mid-January scoring surge with a 13 point night, while Spencer Harris added 11. Ryan Atherton led the Bobcats with 12 points, while Jason Gates added nine. Trenton, now 15-5 on the season, will face the Penney Hornets in the boys championship game at 7:30 on Saturday night (on Hot Country Z 101.7).  Penney, behind a tournament record 44 points from junior forward LaTroy Harper, beat Lathrop 72-53.  Senior guard Jaran Richman had 10 points for the Hornets, while Josh Saling had 11 and Brock Lewis 10 points for the Mules.  Saturday night’s title showdown between the Bulldogs and the Hornets will be the second game between the two squads this season.  Hamilton beat Trenton in the Lawson Tournament semifinals on January 12th, 50-45.

The Trenton girls struggled to find consistent offense in their late afternoon semifinal with East Buchanan, but rallied from a seven-point first quarter deficit to grind out a 46-36 win over East Buchanan.  Whitley Richman, with the Trenton outside shooting off the mark early, proved to be critical with her inside scoring ability, putting in 17 points.  Trenton trailed for most of the first half, but took a two-point halftime advantage on a 40-foot middle of the court heave by Ainsley Tolson to beat the buzzer. 

The Lady Bulldog defense proved to be stifling again, holding the KCI squad to just 10 points total over the middle two quarters.  Tolson had 11 points for Trenton, now 16-2 on the season.  Madison McCreary had 10 first-quarter points, part of a 16 point effort for the East Buchanan junior, while Josie Fortney, a Pittsburg State bound senior for the Lady ‘Dawgs, had 13 points.  East Buch is now 10-7 on the season.

Trenton has an injury concern coming out of the semifinal contest, as sophomore forward Salem Croy turned her left ankle attempting to land after a missed lay-up attempt midway through the third quarter.  The sprain was serious enough that Croy, who finished with eight points, had to be carried off the floor to the THS bench, spending the final 12 minutes of the game seated, with an ice pack on the injury.  While her availability for Saturday’s championship game is somewhat in doubt, those close to the Trenton program noted Croy has dealt with ankle sprains in the past, and has generally been a quick healer, leading to optimism that a quick return to the floor could be in the cards.

Trenton, in the girls championship bout from Hamilton, will play the South Harrison Lady Bulldogs on Saturday night at 6 o’clock on Hot Country Z 101.7.  South Harrison’s Katey Wilhelm had 17 points as the #6 seed from Bethany upset #2 seed Gallatin 48-36, avenging a Grand River Conference loss to GHS on January 20th.

The “Battle of Lady Bulldogs” on Saturday night will be the first of two meetings between the rivals in five nights, as South Harrison will be at Trenton on Wednesday, February 1st for make-up games in the GRC.

Here is the schedule for the final two nights of action at the Hamilton Invitational Tournament:

FRIDAY:

Girls 5th place : Hamilton vs. Lathrop – 6:00 PM

Boys 5th place : East Buchanan vs. South Harrison – 7:30 PM

SATURDAY:

Girls 3rd place : East Buchanan vs. Gallatin – 3:00 PM

Boys 3rd place : Lathrop vs. Braymer – 4:30 PM

Girls Championship : (On Hot Country Z 101.7 / KGOZ on Tune-In Radio) Trenton vs. South Harrison – 6:00 PM

Boys Championship : (On Hot Country Z 101.7 / KGOZ on Tune-In Radio) Trenton vs. Hamilton – 7:30 PM