The Trenton girls will see a familiar playoff opponent with a district championship up for grabs on Saturday afternoon, although, unlike previous playoff battles between the Lady Bulldogs and Lathrop, this one will be played in sneakers, and not cleats.
Number one seed Trenton and number three seed Lathrop won Class 3, District 16 semifinal games on Wednesday night, advancing to the 2 o’clock title game on Saturday afternoon, to be broadcast on Hot Country Z 101.7.
The Lady Bulldogs started fast against the Penney High of Hamilton Lady Hornets, put saw a spirited push by PHS give the #5 seed a lead for much of the second quarter. Despite the ominous feel in the gym with the #1 seed down, Coach Brian Upton said there was no panic from his squad:
Trenton was able to get a pair of late second-quarter baskets to gain a 21-18 advantage at the half. In the third quarter, the momentum of THS continued, as junior forward Ashten Whitaker pushed the lead to double digits with back-to-back three-point shots. Tom Johnson had the play-by-play call on KTTN FM 92.3:
Trenton led for the rest of the game, although Penney made a series of runs at THS, only to be pushed back each time. The final score of Trenton 48, Hamilton 38 pushes Trenton’s record to 24-3, while ending the Lady Hornets campaign at 11-16.
Ainsley Tolson led Trenton with 13 points, with Ashten Whitaker adding 12, and Whitley Richman 11 points. Hamilton was paced by freshman point guard Nora Ford with 17 points. Tegan Bruce added nine.
The Lathrop Lady Mules were very impressive on their home floor, pounding the KCI Conference regular season champion East Buchanan Lady Bulldogs, 62-43. Annika Huitt led a balanced Lathrop attack with 18 points. Deidra Sellers contributed 16, Hannah Jennings 14, and Brooke Huitt 11 points. East Buchanan was paced by 21 points in her final high school game, from senior Josie Fortney. Madison McCreary had 16 points.
The Class 3, District 16 boys semifinals will be played tonight (Thursday night) at Lathrop High School, with the #1 seeded Maryville Spoofhounds taking on MEC rival Bishop LeBlond at 6 o’clock, followed by the #3 seed Trenton Bulldogs against the #2 seed Penney Hornets at 7;30. The Bulldogs/Hornets match-up will be broadcast on KTTN FM 92.3, with audio streaming available from KTTNSports.com and from KTTN on the Tune-In Radio app.
