DICKINSON — For the first time in a little over a month, the Titans put up a mark in the win column.
The last time the Trinity girl’s basketball team won a game was on Dec. 13 against Richardton-Taylor. They ended their four-game losing streak Friday night with a victory over New England 55-47.
Going into the fourth quarter, Trinity (2-2, 2-8) held a one-point lead with both teams trading multiple baskets to begin the final stage. 38-37 quickly became 42-21 before the Titans made their push.
Freshman forward Nevaeh Tormaschy converted a three-point play to get their 9-3 run going. Sophomore guard McKenna Ernst followed with a 3-pointer to extend their lead to six.
Their largest lead in the quarter was seven at 51-44 with just under two minutes to play. Eventually it was 53-47 with Trinity possessing the ball with the clock approaching one minute remaining.
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Senior guard Hope Fath committed an offensive foul that gave New England (0-3, 3-8) a glimmer of hope, but they themselves turned the ball over on the ensuing possession, essentially securing the outcome.
“The girls did a good job of playing together,” Trinity head coach Trever Ernst said. “We talked about it being time to go get it and play together and get after it and crank up the energy.”
The Tigers kept the Titans within their grasp throughout the entire game. Every time it seemed like Trinity would go on a run, New England had an answer.
The Titans biggest lead other than the final score was in the second quarter at 22-14. Fath converted a pair of three-point plays to lead the Titans to 18 points in the second quarter. New England never wavered and drew within five at 24-19 at the end of the half.
It was more of the same to begin the second half, with Trinity pulling ahead. But back-to-back threes from Tigers senior guard Emma Bock kept the Titans within striking distance.
Compared to their game loss on Monday to Beulah, Trinity had a much more balanced scoring attack. Over 85 percent of their scoring came from only three players, but tonight, seven different players were able to contribute on the court.
“I was very pleased with the balanced scoring,” Ernst said. “It’s something we talk about every day, sometimes it doesn’t work out and teams give you certain things. Hope Fath, McKenna Ernst and Nevaeh Tormaschy did a good job of stepping up today.”
Tormaschy and Fath both scored a team-high 13 points. Ernst and sophomore guard Ava Jahner had eight apiece.
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New England made six 3-pointers on the night, led by Bock with four, which made up her 12 points. Junior guard Hannah Frank led the Tigers with 13. The Tigers remain winless in Region 7 play, while the Titans earned their second victory.
“We’ve been close,” Ernst said. “We’ve lost by two and then in overtime. It’s stuff they have to do. You have to learn how to win. Sometimes you can play for a quarter or a half but finishing a game is something you have to learn how to do. Hopefully we took a step in the right direction and we keep building from there.”
The Titans will be in one of the six games on Saturday for Class B day at Trinity High School, taking on Flasher. New England will return to their home court on Monday against Beach.
BOX SCORE
Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | F | |
Trinity | 6 | 18 | 14 | 17 | 55 |
New England | 7 | 12 | 18 | 10 | 47 |
Individual scoring - Trinity: Hope Fath, Nevaeh Tormaschy 13, McKenna Ernst, Ava Jahner 8, Kali Kubas 6, Katherine Schneider 4, Bella Kovash 3; New England: Hannah Frank 13, Emma Bock 12, Sophie Olsonawski 8, Irea de Paz Nogueira 6, Grace Dinius, Emma Olsonawski 3, Samantha Volk 2.