Hardwood Heroes Sports
Lady Lancers Late-Game Push Secures Win Over Trimble
By: Jack Demmler
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STEWART, Ohio – Following two straight losses, the Federal Hocking girls’ basketball team looked to get back on track. However, the Lady Lancers would not have an easy path to getting back on track as they welcomed a very strong TVC-Ohio foe, the Trimble Tomcats, to Stewart on Thursday.
After leading by six at half, the Tomcats came roaring back to take a late lead. However, with the help of Paige Tolson and a final push, the Lancers stormed past the Tomcats 62-57.
In the first half, Federal Hocking controlled the game. At the 1:46 mark in the first quarter, the Lancers held a 16-8 lead.
However, coming out of the timeout break, things started to pick up for the Tomcats. Thanks to a buzzer-beating floater over a group of Lancers by Laikyn Imler, Federal Hocking’s lead was cut to five.
Alexis Smith seemed to be firing on all cylinders in the first half. She drained three 3-pointers and finished the half with nine points. Tolson also showed off her athleticism as she finished the first half with 14, 12 of which came in the first quarter. Despite being one of the smallest girls on the court, Tolson did not let that keep her from following shots. Tolson had nine rebounds in the first half, many of which were offensive rebounds, setting up many second chance points opportunities.
Federal Hocking was able to maintain a steady halftime lead, 32-26.
Coming into the second half, Trimble amped up their defense which allowed them to bring about their first lead of the game. With 3:50 left in the third quarter, the Tomcats controlled much of the pace of the game which lead them to a 40-38 lead.
A major component of the strong defensive game was Jayne Six. Six was daunting in the paint as she interrupted many shots and passes.
With the newly gained momentum, the Trimble Tomcats looked to remain undefeated in the TVC-Ohio heading into the fourth quarter leading 51-47.
Tolson struggled from shooting behind the arc but was able to force her way into the pint and draw multiple fouls. Defensively, Tolson upped her game and had four steals. Tolson ended the game with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
The Lancers defense stepped up in a major way, outscoring the Tomcats 15-6 in the fourth quarter.
“Trimble is a very good team,” head coach Jeremy Tolson said. “They were undefeated in the league for a reason. This is a really good win for the kids. I’m proud of them for the hard work they put out.”
The Lancers will look to spark a win streak as they travel to Waterford to take on another TVC-Ohio opponent.