Lady Trojans fall to Manhattan Christian, fall into Consolation Bracket

BUTTE – It was the game they wanted to play, except it only lasted a half.

The Lady Trojans got outscored 25-9 in the third quarter as they fell to Manhattan Christian 62-43 in their opening round game of the Class C Western Division Basketball Tournament Thursday night.

Drummond (18-4) paced Manhattan in the game’s opening stanza to the 1:51 mark. Ahead 7-6, the Lady Trojans saw the Lady Eagles rip off five straight points before period’s end to trail 11-7.

But Drummond was not dissuaded in its efforts, outscoring Manhattan 15-12 in the second to trail by only a point at halftime, 23-22.

When the teams emerged from th3e locker rooms after the break, that’s when the Lady Trojans started having trouble. According to statistics provided by the tournament and a count by the Flint Creek Courier, Drummond committed 16 turnovers against the Lady Eagle press, half of their game total 33. Manhattan compiled a 25-9 run in the period that cemented the game and their advancement into the Winner’s Bracket semifinals Friday at 8 p.m.

“The girls played really tough, especially in that first half,” said DHS Head Coach Nate Bignell. “The pressure got to us a little bit, but I’m so proud of these girls and how they played and how they competed as a team.”

When the clock started for the fourth quarter, the Lady eagles were up 58-31.

Remington Cline was the leading scorer for Drummond with 10.

Four girls broke into double figures for Manhattan Christian led by Bella Triemstra with 17.

The Lady Trojans will now face the Superior Lady Bobcats in an elimination game Friday at 2 p.m. The winner advances to the Consolation semifinals Saturday at 11 a.m. to face the loser of the Twin Bridges-Ennis Winner’s Bracket semifinal.

The Lady Eagles play Lone Peak Friday at 8 p.m.

In looking ahead to Friday’s game against Superior, Bignell was asked how his girls would correct their errors to fare better against the Lady Bobcat press. “The girls are gonna shrink,” joked Bignell, referencing the difference in size between the Manhattan Christian Lady Eagles and the Superior Lady Bobcats. “That’ll help out. It’s just get their (Drummond’s) minds right, get rested up, and get ready to go through it again.”

SCORING

Manhattan Christian – 11/12/25/14 – 62

Drummond – 7/15/9/12 – 43

Manhattan Christian – Hofman 1, Triemstra 17, VanKirk 15, Bellach 11, Aamot 15, Wyatt 3

Drummond – Parsons 6, Nelson 9, Parke 2, HJicks 2, RCline 10, HSawfer 1, CCline 5, Perry 8