Triad Opens Season at Columbia

By Anthony Jones

Girls basketball season is officially underway across Illinois.

Triad’s first game of the year came on Nov. 15, when they faced off against the Althoff Crusaders. This matchup served as both team’s opening round of the Columbia Invitational.

After a slow first half for both offenses, the Lady Knights trailed 10-6.

In the second half, Triad’s offense equaled the first half total with 16 points of their own. 27 Althoff points canceled this out however and the Crusaders won 37-24.

Delaney Hess led Triad in scoring with 7 points, while Maddie Hunt tacked on 5 more. Triad’s rebound leader was Andie Green, who finished with 8.

Althoff continued their winning ways in the second round with a 58-48 victory over Father McGivney. The 2-0 Crusaders are set to play for the tournament’s championship against Waterloo.

Triad’s second round opponent was the Greenville Comets. In their first game of the tournament, Greenville fell 49-41 to Father McGivney.

An early 9-5 lead for the Lady Knights helped fuel a 14-10 lead after the opening eight minutes. By the end of the half, Greenville had erased their deficit to take a 20-19 lead.

Triad regained the lead in the second half at a score of 26-22. Both teams traded baskets for the remainder of the period, but a last second three pointer from Savannah Hildebrand pushed the Lady Knights ahead 34-32.

A 36-35 advantage with 4:23 left to play was the last time Triad led the game. Greenville finished the game with a 10-2 run to win 45-37.