
Southern continues TVC-Hocking dominance, defeating Trimble
By: Ty Carpenter
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RACINE, Ohio (WOUB) — The Trimble Tomcats (2-14, 1-6 TVC-Hocking) traveled to Racine on Friday to take on the TVC-Hocking-leading Southern Tornadoes (12-3, 7-0 TVC-Hocking) hoping for an upset, but would come up short, 63-54.
The first quarter saw Trimble start hot, going up 9-6 early with solid scoring from Luke Orsborne and rebounding from Brady Jajczyk. Both teams would exchange blows with the score being tied 11-11 with about two minutes left in the quarter. But after a quick score followed by an and-1 by Southern’s Jake Wickline, the Tornadoes would head into the second quarter up 16-11.
The second quarter would see the offenses slow down. The score stayed relatively stagnant until about two minutes left in the half, when Trimble would begin to explode offensively. From down 20-15, tough layups by Jajcyzk and quick scoring from Mason Coffman in the paint would propel the Tomcats back into the lead, as they would head into the second half up 25-24.
Trimble would open the second half with a similar level of intensity. In only the first minute, Jajcyzk would score on a layup and Paul Sharp would hit a three-pointer, forcing Southern to call a timeout. The teams would exchange scoring back-and-forth, with Coffman continuing his dominance in the paint for Trimble. But in response, Southern’s Andre Chandler would find his stride, hitting three three-pointers in the third quarter alone, elevating the Tornadoes to their biggest lead of the night, 43-36.
The fourth quarter would open up with the same offensive production. Both teams would immediately hit three-pointers, until scoring help from Jajcyzk and Coffman would finally cut the Southern lead to one possession, 48-45, with about 4 minutes left. It seemed like the Tomcats had momentum, but after a three-pointer from Landon Everson and a technical foul on the Trimble bench, the Tomcats lost all momentum and would not be able to overcome the deficit, losing 63-54.
The top performer for Southern was Andre Chandler, who posted 24 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals for the Tornadoes. For Trimble, Brady Jajczyk posted 16 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals. Mason Coffman also saw success, putting up 20 points and 7 rebounds himself.
This win keeps Southern undefeated in conference play and on pace for their first conference title since 2014. After the win, Tornadoes Head Coach Jeff Caldwell reflected on how important every win is in the TVC-Hocking. “None of them are going to be easy. Trimble came to play tonight,” said Caldwell. “We knew it would be a battle.”
With this loss, the Trimble Tomcats fall to 2-14 on the season and 1-6 in the TVC-Hocking, hoping to bounce back against Chesapeake (16-1, 9-0 OVC) on Saturday. The Southern Tornadoes improve to 12-3 overall and stay undefeated in the TVC-Hocking at 7-0. They will look to continue their win streak against South Gallia (4-12, 0-6 SOC) on Saturday.