In a classic back-and-forth WOAC matchup, the Lady Blazers come up just shy of securing their first Conference win and second overall. With several lead changes throughout the game, Trail battled on both ends of the court all evening but foul trouble eventually caught up to the team, with four of the starting five Varsity players fouling out before time expired, equating to a 44-47 loss to the Panthers. Several Freshmen stepped up to the challenge and provided tremendous effort, including Chloe Graves, who had a block shot at one end of the court, followed by a clutch fourth quarter baseline jumper at the other. Trail was +9 in the team foul disparity, 25-16, which provided 24 free throws to their opponents in the second half. Sophomore Ollie Mason had the best game of her young career, scoring 13 points including the first made three-point basket for the Lady Blazers this season. Josie Stiner led the Blazer attack with 14 points, and Sophomore Morgan House was aggressive offensively, contributing eight. Junior Hannah Henderson had four and Senior Kendyl Johnson, who owned the glass and provided stellar defense, scored a bucket and a free throw to round out the Blazer scoring. National Trail was 11 of 12 from the free throw line, making the most of every opportunity in a game that was tied heading into the fourth quarter.
The Junior Varsity also played a close, back-and-forth matchup, falling to TCN 11-9. Trail had an opportunity to tie or take the lead in the final seconds, but TCN was equal to the task in the end.
The Varsity girls (1-2 overall, 0-2 in conference play) will kick-off an evening of basketball at Miami Valley Saturday evening with a tip-off at 4:30 PM.
