Lady Knights Improve To 5-1 With Wins Over Conference Foes Jerseyville, Waterloo
By Anthony Jones
Mississippi Valley Conference action is officially underway for the Triad Lady Knights as they travelled to both Jerseyville and Waterloo this past week.
The week of action kicked off on November 29, when the squad visited the Jerseyville Panthers. Entering their matchup, the Panthers touted a 2-2 record.
The first quarter, which Triad won 10-9, set the tone for the rest of the game. A nice 4-0 run from Jerseyville put them up 13-10 early in the second quarter, but that lead wouldn’t last long as the Lady Knights suddenly caught fire and went on a dominating 10-0 run.
After one half of action, Triad held a solid 22-15 advantage. The Panthers came roaring back however, trimming Triad’s lead to 22-21 after holding the Lady Knights scoreless for the first half of the third quarter. This would be as close as they would get to taking the lead back, as the visitors offense came alive and finished the quarter up 32-28.
Scoring 7 points unanswered to start the final quarter, the Lady Knights had all but sealed their victory as they went up 39-28. Jerseyville did claw away at the lead slowly, but it was too little too late as Triad went on to win 42-36.
Leading the way for Triad on the scoreboard was Sami Hartoin, who tallied 15 points and an impressive total of 8 steals. Kendall Chigas also scored in the double digits, earning her team a dozen points to go with 6 steals.
Three days later, the team once again hit the road, this time making a trip to Waterloo. Exactly two weeks earlier, the two teams had played in a tournament and the Bulldogs emerged with a 44-28 victory. The Bulldog’s also held a 5-1 record headed into the contest.
Coming out of the gate quickly, Waterloo snatched a 6-0 lead halfway through the first quarter. Triad responded quickly and tightened the game up at 6-5 before the teams traded shots until the end of the opening quarter, where the hosts led 10-8.
The second quarter was also full of momentum swings, as the Lady Knights opened on a 4-0 run before being hit with 9 unanswered points to go down 19-12. After spending the rest of the half trimming away at Waterloo’s lead, Triad once again tied the game up at 22-22 to head into half.
Scoring 13 of the first 18 points in the second half, Triad took a solid 35-37 advantage. Yet another big change in momentum cut their lead down however, as Waterloo scored 7 consecutive points to go down 34-35. At the end of the period, the Lady Knights still clung to a slim 37-36 lead.
Hitting the first basket of the final quarter, the Bulldogs once again went on top with a 38-37 lead. This would be their last lead however, as Triad outscored their opponents 12-4 in the remainder of the game to win by a score of 49-42.
An outstanding 24 points and 75% shooting percentage from Avery Bohnenstiehl was key to the Triad victory. Hartoin once again had a nice night as she finished with a total of 9 points.
After their pair of wins, the Lady Knights now stand at 5-1 on the season. The squad is also 2-0 in Mississippi Valley Conference action.
