Lady Knights battle state ranked foes

By Anthony Jones

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A week of tough opponents for Triad girls basketball started on Jan. 14, as they hosted Mt. Vernon. The then 15-2 Lady Rams entered ranked third in the most recent Class 3A Associated Press Poll, while Triad held a 15-3 mark and was unranked.

Fueled by three-pointers by Makenna Witham, Delaney Hess and Savannah Hildebrand, the Lady Knights took an early initiative and a 9-2 lead. Triad continued to lead throughout the opening quarter, finishing with a 13-10 advantage.

With less than two minutes remaining in the opening half, a Hildebrand triple gave the Lady Knights a commanding 29-16 edge. Mt. Vernon responded with their best stretch of play of the night, finishing the quarter on a 7-0 rally to pull within 29-23.

The Rams picked up where they left off in the third quarter, starting with an 8-0 run. This pushed them ahead 31-29 and earned their first lead of the affair.

Triad rebutted with a 9-0 streak, featuring five points from Witham, to regain control at 38-31. The Lady Knights clung to their lead and headed to the final period with a 39-38 edge.

In the fourth quarter, Triad ultimately pulled away as they outscored the Rams 27-13. This earned the Lady Knights a 66-51 victory.

Triad’s highest offensive output of the season, Witham led their scoring with 24 points and added 10 rebounds. Hildebrand also secured a double double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

The Lady Knights also drew four charge calls throughout the night, three of which were earned by Boyce.

“We did a charge drill yesterday, but players have to be willing to step up and do it. It takes guts and it takes courage–obviously we have girls to do that,” Coach Hunt discussed the hard to earn fouls.

The Lady Knights returned to action on Jan. 17 for a Mississippi Valley Conference matchup at Waterloo. Triad won their previous matchup against the Bulldogs, by a slim 44-40 margin.

A turnover filled start to the game saw the Lady Knights fall behind 15-5 early in the second quarter.

A series of triples in response from Boyce, Witham and Hildebrand brought life back to Triad’s offense and pulled them within 15-14. The Lady Knights earned their first lead of the night on a triple by Addi Jones that pushed them ahead 19-18.

Triad held on to take a 21-20 edge into halftime. Witham led all scorers with seven points at intermission.

The Lady Knights held onto their modest lead for most of the second half and seemed to finally find breathing room when a triple from Hildebrand pushed them ahead 34-28 in the fourth quarter.

Waterloo then bit back with an 8-0 rush that pushed them ahead 36-34. Jones broke their hot streak with a three-point shot to pull back ahead before a quick Bulldog layup put them in charge at 38-37.

A free throw from Boyce then tied the score at 38-38, followed by a timeout from the Bulldogs. Boyce returned from the stoppage to sink another free throw to take the lead at 39-38.

Triad netted the game’s next six points to regain breathing room and held on for a 48-44 victory.

With 16 points, Witham finished as the team’s leading scorer. Hildebrand also broke into double digits with 13 points.

The Lady Knights played the following evening on Jan. 18. Then, they opened their Highland Tournament action with a showdown against the 16-4 and seventh ranked in Class 2A Teutopolis Wooden Shoes.

The first three quarters of play were back and forth, with seven lead changes and neither team holding a lead of more than six points. The fourth quarter, which started with a 34-33 Teutopolis lead, proved to be a breaking point.

Teutopolis stormed out on a 12-2 lead, taking the game’s first double-digit lead at 46-35. Triad was ultimately outpaced 18-3 across the quarter in what finished as a 52-36 defeat.

The loss drops Triad to 17-4 overall.

“We just looked like a team that had played back to back nights. We had some heavy legs and didn’t do a lot right there in the fourth quarter. Fatigue and execution both played a factor,” Coach Hunt said of his team that finished the game on the wrong side of a 24-3 run.

Witham captained the team’s offense throughout the game, scoring 16 points to finish as the only Lady Knight with more than six points.

Triad begins play in the consolation bracket on Jan. 21, as they battle the Collinsville Kahoks.

Hildebrand and Witham enter that contest on the edge of 1,000 career points, as they hold respective totals of 995 and 985.