Trojans take District 10 crown
Trojans take District 10 crown
Cossacks advance, Trooper season over
By STU MERRY
The high-powered offense of the Turtle Lake-Mercer-McClusky Trojans was just too much for the Washburn Cardinals in Monday night’s championship game of the District 10 Girls Basketball Tournament.
The No. 2 seed Trojans got past the persistent Cardinals 43-40 to win the District 10 title. Washburn came in as the No. 1 seed.
The win was a pay-back of sorts for the Trojans. Last year, Washburn was district champ, defeating TL-M-M 47-32.
Three Trojans were in double figures, including Haley Zinke (11), Chloe Bayless (11) and Taylor Fylling (10). Washburn senior Spanky Clayton was a one-person wrecking crew, hitting nearly every shot she took. Spanky tossed in 27 points and gathered up 12 rebounds.
In one play-in game, the Max Cossacks came back from deficits more than once, then prevailed to outlast the Wilton-Wing Miners 49-44. The win gives the Cossacks their second straight trip to regionals.
Things looked bleak for the Cossacks in the fourth quarter. With six minutes left, Max was down 11, 42-31. Fast forward to the final buzzer and the Cossacks were the ones moving on, while Wilton-Wing’s season was over.
The Huesers sisters, senior Whitney and sibling, junior McKayla, virtually willed the Cossacks to victory. Whitney tallied 17 and added 11 rebounds, while McKayla tossed in 13 and pulled down five caroms in the win.
Admitting the learning curve has made for a tough season for players and coaches alike, first-year Coach Rob Bollinger said he was happy with the win.
