The West Central Trojan girls basketball team got back into the win column after a 73-23 win over the Dell Rapids Quarriers at home on Tuesday, January 18th.

The Trojans started the game on a 13-0 run and never looked back.  West Central built a 23-3 lead after the first quarter.  The lead grew to 40-9 by halftime.  West Central then opened the third quarter on a 15-0 run and outscored Dell Rapids 33-14 in the second half.

West Central shot 48% (29-61) from the field, 19% (3-16) from three-point area, and 63% (12-19) from the free-throw line.  Dell Rapids was 22% (10-45) shooting, 13% (2-16) on three pointers, and 1-2 from the free-throw line.  West Central forced 24 turnovers on 18 steals.

Rylee Haldeman finished with 18 points, seven assists, six steals, and five rebounds.  Addy Kramer had 16 points, eight rebounds, two steals, and two assists.  Tabor Teel also had double figures with 10 points along with eight rebounds and three assists.  Josslin Jarding added seven points, three rebounds, and two steals.

The Trojans (11-1) will host Lennox on Thursday, January 20th.

To say the West Central Trojan girls had a tough seven days from January 8th to 15th would be an understatement.  The Trojans played five games in those seven days all against ranked opponents.  After getting a wins over #4 White River on January 8th and #5 Dakota Valley on January 11th, West Central had three straight days of games.

West Central 61, Crofton, NE 59

The Trojans hosted Crofton, NE on Thursday, January 13th.  Crofton was ranked #4 Class C-2 in the latest Nebraska polls.  Most of the game was back and forth.  The Trojans held a 21-19 lead at the end of the first quarter, but Crofton took a one point lead into the locker room at halftime, 39-38.  Crofton built one of the bigger leads of the night, seven points, by the end of the third quarter.  Crofton led 51-44 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Trojans tied the game 53-53 after an Addy Kramer three pointer with 5:40 to play.  The Trojans held a 59-56 lead after Rylee Haldeman made shot in the lane with 1:30 to go.  Crofton tied the game with a three-pointer twenty seconds later.  Kramer made a driving layup with :51 to play to give the Trojans a 61-59 lead.  Each team had a possession that failed to score.  Crofton had the ball with :6.5 on the clock.  As they dribbled up the court, Haldeman made steal to seal the victory.

Tabor Teel had 22 points, four rebounds, and three steals.  Kramer finished with 19 points and six rebounds.  Haldeman added 10 points, seven assists, and three steals. 

West Central 64, St Thomas More 42

The Trojans then hosted the #2 ranked St Thomas More Cavaliers on Friday, January 14th.  West Central shot the lights out of the gym.  They finished 51% (19-37) from the field, 58% (14-24) from three-point area, and 75% (12-16) from the free-throw line.

West Central started the game on fire building an 18-10 lead after the first quarter.  They continued to build on that lead all game long.  The Trojans led 39-19 at halftime and 62-31 at the end of the third quarter.

Haldeman had 24 points, six assists, three steals, and two rebounds.  Kramer had 14 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.  Josslin Jarding finished with nine points.  Cambell Fischer added six points, three rebounds, and two steals.

Wagner 75,  West Central 47

The long week ended at the Hanson Classic against the Wagner Red Raiders on Saturday, January 15th.  The Trojans had a four-point lead with 4:42 in the first quarter, but the lead wouldn’t last long for West Central.  Wagner finished the quarter with a 16-14 lead and then almost put the game away in the second quarter.  The Red Raiders outscored the Trojans 23-7 for a 39-21 halftime lead. Both teams scored 15 points in the third quarter, and Wagner lead 54-36 heading into the final quarter.  The Red Raiders outscored West Central 21-11 in the final quarter.

The Trojans shot just 29% (17-59) in the game, 31% (8-26) from three-point area, and 46% (5-11) from the free-throw line.  Wagner was 62% (29-47) from the field, 46% (6-13) from three-point area, and 55% (11-20) from the free-throw line. 

Teel finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, and two steals.  Haldeman had eight points, six assists, three rebounds, and two steals.  Jarding added six points, three rebounds, and two steals.  Fischer also had six points.  Kramer and Tessa VanOverbeke both had five points each.

West Central (10-1) will host the Dell Rapids Quarriers on Tuesday, January 18th.

The third-ranked West Central Trojan girls took on the #3 team in class B, the White River Tigers, at the Sacred Hoops Classic in Mitchell on Saturday, January 8th.  In a highly anticipated game, the Trojans used a second have surge for a 59-34 win.

The Trojans enjoyed a 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter, 17-7.  The Tigers cut the lead down to seven points, 22-15, with 3:00 to play in the second quarter.  West Central ended the half on a 6-2 run for a 28-17 halftime lead.  West Central really took control of the game in the third quarter.  The Trojan defense held White River to just six points, while the offense scored 23 to build a 51-23 lead going into the fourth quarter.  The Trojan lead grew to 30 points early in the fourth quarter.

West Central shot 42% (22-52) from the field, 25% (5-20) on three pointers, and 59% (10-17) from the free-throw line.  White River was held to 24% (11-46) shooting, 23% (3-13) from three-point area, and 53% (9-17) from the free-throw line.  White River also turned the ball over 14 times, 11 of those on steals, while West Central only had four turnovers.

Rylee Haldeman, who was named the player of the game for the Trojans, had 23 points, four steals, two rebounds, and two assists.  Tabor Teel had 10 points, nine rebounds, one steal, and one assist.  Addy Kramer finished with seven points.  Jazelle Jarding and Cambell Fischer both had six points and three rebounds each.

West Central will travel to Dakota Valley on Tuesday, January 11th.