Trojans hang on (to the ball) to beat Valley Christian

FRENCHTOWN – Drummond got some measure of vengeance against Valley Christian Friday, beating them 54-48 in the Consolation Bracket of the Boys C Western Division Basketball Tournament in Frenchtown.

The win propels the Trojans forward into the Consolation Bracket Semifinals where they will face the loser of Harrison-West Yellowstone at 11 a.m. Saturday morning. The winner will advance to the Consolation Championship and, should the chips fall right, a chance to play themselves into the Class State Tournament in two weeks.

The loser goes home.

With the loss, Valley Christian was eliminated from the tournament.

The Eagles held a 12-11 lead after one period, but Drummond clamped down in the second and third periods to establish a 39-28 advantage. Valley would make a run in the final stanza, but it would prove to be too little, too late.

“(The) team played great defensively,” said DHS Head Coach Levi Parsons. “We challenged most of their shots and rebounded well.

“We only turned the ball over 11 times. We talked about keeping turnovers to 12 or less. If we can do that we’re a tuff team to beat.”

The 11 turnovers were key as it limited the number of possessions the Eagles had, and thus reigning in their three-point shot attempts.

Scott Parke led the Trojans with a double-double – 20 points and 12 rebounds. Trey Phillips collected five rebounds and five blocked shots to go with his 15 points at the post.

Should Drummond claim the Consolation Bracket Championship, they would need Manhattan Christian to win the tournament Saturday evening so that they could challenge the second-place team. That game would likely take place Monday at a time and venue to be determined.

SCORING

Valley Christian - 12/5/11/20 - 48

Drummond - 11/12/16/15 - 54

Valley Christian - Fisher 2, CGlidewell 5, ZGlidewell 16, Karavandi 6, Stoltzfus 4

Drummond - Rasor 9, Parke 20, James 4, Graveley 3, Suthers 3, Phillips 15