Coming off a tough loss to the White River Tigers on Saturday, January 2nd, the West Central Trojan girls basketball team bounced back with a big 55-29 win over the Elk Point-Jefferson Huskies at home on Tuesday, January 5th.

The Trojan defense was the star of the game.  West Central held the Huskies scoreless in the first six minutes of the game and didn’t allow Elk Point-Jefferson’s first field goal until the second quarter.  The Trojans also had 13 steals while forcing 18 turnovers in the game.

West Central got out to a 14-0 lead in the first six minutes of the game and never looked back.  They led 20-3 after the first quarter and the lead grew to 36-13 by halftime.  The Trojans then outscored Elk Point-Jefferson 19-16 in the second half.

Eleven different players recorded at least one rebound in the game for the Trojans.  Two players finished in double figures in scoring.  Addy Kramer had 13 points, four rebounds, three steals, and three assists.  Josslin Jarding added 10 points, three rebounds, and three assists.  Rylee Haldeman also had three steals and three assists.  Cambell Fischer finished with eight points, while Molli Thornton and Jada Vanoverbeke both had six points each.  Cassidy Siemonsma had a team-high nine rebounds.

West Central (5-1) will host the Tea Area Titans on Thursday, January 7th in another big match-up for the Trojans.  West Central is ranked #2 in the latest media poll, while Tea Area is ranked #6.

In one of the most anticipated games of the 2nd Annual Sacred Hoops Classic in Mitchell on Saturday, January 2nd, the undefeated West Central Trojan girls played the undefeated White River Tigers.  The game matched all of the hype leading to the game.

Neither team was able to get a sizeable advantage during the game, and it all game down to a shot at the buzzer.  Unfortunately for the Trojans, the winning basket came at the hands of Caelyn Valandra-Prue as the Tigers won the game 62-60.

Each team held a lead at the different quarter breaks.  West Central had the first quarter break leading 17-15 at the end of the first quarter.  White River was able to grab a four-point lead at halftime of 37-33.

The Trojans took the lead again in the third quarter, and pushed the lead to 47-42 with just over two minutes to play in the third quarter.  White River ended the quarter on a 4-0 run, and the Trojans led 47-46 heading into the final quarter.  Both teams traded leads in the fourth quarter.

Addy Kramer made her seventh three-point basket with 1:41 to go in the game to give West Central a 60-58 lead.  The Tigers tied the game at the free-throw line with 1:06 to play.  Both teams had an opportunity to take the lead in the final minute, but it was the shot of Valandra-Prue as the buzzer sounded that won the game for the Tigers.

West Central finished the game shooting 41% (23-56) from the field, 42% (11-26) from three-point area, and just 3-10 from the foul line.  The free-throw line is where White River held a huge advantage.  The Tigers finished the game 22-27 for 81%.

Kramer, who was named the game’s MVP for West Central, finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds.  Rylee Haldeman had 14 points and nine assists.  Cassidy Siemonsma had 13 points and six rebounds.