After a long break, the Lady Blazers returned to action on their home court, featuring a WOAC matchup with the Arrows of Preble Shawnee Thursday night. Both teams struggled to control the basketball in a game plagued by turnovers. The Blazers showed significant rust, coming out flat and finding themselves down 10 points after the first quarter with the score at 3-13. Trail finally matched Shawnee’s physicality and clawed their way back, but still found themselves down 11-17 after a third quarter where their defense held the Arrows scoreless. The lid came off the basket for Kendyl Johnson, who nearly single-handedly brought the Lady Blazers back with a game-tying three point basket from the wing and a go-ahead free throw, giving her seven points in the fourth quarter alone. The Arrows were able to tie the game at 20 at the end of regulation, and the only offense Trail could muster in the overtime period was a free throw which proved insufficient, resulting in a 21-23 defeat where three of the Lady Blazer starters fouled out of the game. The team had plenty of chances to secure the victory, but shot only 5-16 from the free throw line, letting key points slip away in the end. Johnson led Trail with eight points, Hannah Henderson, six; Morgan House had five while Josie Stiner and Ollie Mason contributed free throws. The squad drops to 3-5 overall and remains winless in conference play (0-3) but will have a chance to capture their first conference victory Saturday afternoon versus Twin Valley South with a JV tip at 1 PM following the Middle School’s matchup with the Panthers on the High School court (7th Grade tips at 10 AM) and an inaugural Alumni game taking place following the Varsity matchup.
Trail’s JV secured a victory over the Arrows in a tightly-contested two-quarter matchup prior to the Varsity matchup.
