Trenton girls stay unbeaten, showdown with Chillicothe looms

The Trenton Lady Bulldogs played strong workmanlike basketball on Tuesday night, defeating the Marceline Lady Tigers 51-33 in action broadcast from the Marceline High School gymnasium on KGOZ-TV.

Trenton gave up the first three points of the game, but quickly responded to even out the affair, with a mini-run late in the first quarter giving THS a 10-9 lead after eight minutes of play.  By halftime, Salem Croy’s three point shooting helped to surge the Lady Bulldogs, as the sophomore hit 3 three-point shots in the first half, giving Trenton a 26-17 lead at the break.

The weekly interview with Lady Bulldog Head Coach Brian Upton was recorded Wednesday morning, to air at 5:30 tonight (Wednesday night) on KTTN FM 92.3:

While the fighting spirit of Marceline remained strong, the Lady Tigers were never seriously able to threaten Trenton’s advantage in the second half.  Trenton, now 5-0 on the season, was led by 15 points from Croy.  Whitley Richman added 12 points, while Ainsley Tolson and Ashten Whitaker both had seven.  Whitaker’s points, all in the final quarter, helped to quell any hopes of a late Marceline rally.

Marceline, paced by 10 points from Elaine Ewigman and nine points from Abbie Pfeiffer, falls to 3-2 on the campaign.

The Trenton boys started well, leading Marceline 10-4 after one quarter, but a 13-0 Tiger lead in the second quarter, combined with cold shooting by the Bulldogs from tip to buzzer, doomed Trenton to its second consecutive loss, 64-40, as both teams finished the night with identical 3-2 records.

Makenzie Fessler led all scorers with 25 points for Marceline, all coming in the final three quarters.  Levi Terrell added 14 points and Desmond Harrison nine.  For Trenton, Connor Cotton had 15 points with Spencer Harris 13.  Harris had Trenton’s only made three point shot, that coming in the second quarter.

The final score was not indicative of the story of the game, as Trenton spent much of the second half threatening Marceline’s advantage, but staying within 6 and 12 points.  A flurry of late-game fouls, combined with perfect (16 for 16) free throw shooting in the fourth quarter, helped the Tigers extend the advantage late.

KTTN Sports Director Tom Johnson interviewed Coach Jeremy Austin on Wednesday afternoon, as preparations for Friday night’s game at Chillicothe were soon to be underway for a THS squad aiming for a rivalry win, and an end to a two-game losing skid.  The “Jeremy Austin Show” will air at 5:40 Wednesday night on KTTN FM 92.3:

Both Trenton teams will play at Chillicothe on Friday night, with coverage on KGOZ-TV (YouTube.com/KTTNRadio) of the girls (6 PM) and boys (7:30 PM) contest.  The Trenton girls and Chillicothe girls have a combined season record of 9-0, while the Chillicothe boys come into Friday night’s game with a record of 3-1, and a third place finish at last week’s Savannah Tournament.