Trenton High School’s winning formula of suffocating defense, superb all-around play by Ainsley Tolson, and consistent offense punch created by a strong passing game, were all on display on Saturday, as the Lady Bulldogs dominated play in a 51-27 victory over Father Tolton Catholic High School of Columbia.
The game was played at Benton High School in St. Joseph, broadcast on Hot Country Z 101.7 and U-Click TV. Tolson led Trenton with 17 points, while Maci Moore had nine and Mykah Hurley eight points. Tolton was able to ‘hang around’ for most of the first half, before a surge by the Lady Bulldogs, finished by a three-point bank-shot by Hurley at the second quarter horn, gave THS a 32-14 halftime advantage. Trenton’s lead was never seriously threatened over the final two quarters.
Haleigh Berrey had 15 points for the Trail Blazers, now 8-4 on the season, while Trenton, with the win, improves to 11-1.
Trenton Coach Brian Upton praised the work of Tolson, and the entire Lady Bulldog roster, in Saturday’s decisive win:
In Saturday morning’s opener, the Trenton boys picked up a second straight 32 point performance by senior Lathan Croy, rebounding from a slow first quarter start to dominate the young Butler Bears, winning by a final score of 63-37. Carson Burchett had eight points for the Bulldogs, now 6-6 on the season, with all of the points for the THS sophomore coming in the second quarter. Freshman Bryce Miller paced Butler with 12 points.
Bulldog Coach Jeremy Austin, asked first about Friday night’s one-point (50-49) win at Maysville, said the two-game winning streak, is nice, but getting a practice in on Monday afternoon before the Lawson Tournament will be beneficial for his team:
Saturday’s games from Springer Gymnasium were played as part of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame Basketball Classic, with six more games, after Trenton finished, played in the annual event.
The other final scores from Saturday were:
Kansas City Center boys 57, Maryville 54
St. Joseph Lafayette girls 40, Kansas City Center 36
St. Joseph Lafayette boys 82, Miller Career Academy 51
St. Joseph Benton boys 60, Marshall 50
Walnut Grove girls 61, Mid-Buchanan 47
Mid-Buchanan boys 83, Walnut Grove 74
Photo credit- U-Click TV / Jim Bligh / St. Joseph, MO
