Troopers come up short
By STU MERRY
It was a debut of sorts for the Garrison Lady Troopers Monday night at the Region 5 Tournament in Mandan. A Trooper girls team has advanced to regionals only two other times in the past 11 years, 2004 and 2011.
With a cavalry of fans cheering them on, the youthful Lady T’s nearly pulled off a huge upset of last year’s Region 5 representative in the girls state tournament. While the girls came up short in the end, falling 67-54 to Grant County, the experience of a strong season and nice tournament run should only pay dividends down the road.
In Monday’s region quarterfinal, the Troopers must have gotten discount rates for long distance. All 15 first quarter points came from beyond the arc. Ellie Gehring had three. Sarah Behles and Shelby Gehring each had one. To open the second quarter, Taylor Kamp added her name to the group rate with another three. It wasn’t until the 5:20 mark when Anna Larson added a put-back that the three-point streak came to an end. All totaled, the ladies connected for 11 treys on the night.
Staying with District 9’s No. 2 seed, the Lady T’s confidence grew every time down the court. At the half the score was 29-28, Garrison, and at the end of three it was the Troopers 49, Grant County 42.
Asked about the team’s early aerial attack, Coach Sandra Essler said; "We take advantage of our speed, and they like to shoot."
As the girls continued to gain confidence, the inside game improved. "When we got our post involved, we were playing very well," she said.
