Staff writer
The Trojans ran out of steam Tuesday when Hoisington came to town, failing to capitalize on road wins against Pratt on Friday by dropping both games to the Cardinals.
The girls were short-circuited by a horrendous second quarter in which they didn’t score a basket. Hoisington hit for 12 points to take a 28-14 lead at the half.
It was the Cardinals’ turn for a 4-point sputter in the third quarter, as the Trojans got back into the game, 32-29, going into the final stanza.
Hillsboro put up twice as many shots as Hoisington in the fourth, but hit just 3-of-12 to fall 48-38.
Alex Ratzlaff led the Trojans with 18 points.
Second-quarter blues sank the boys, too, as the Cardinals built on a 17-11 lead by outscoring the Trojans 17-7 for a 34-18 lead at the half. The teams matched each other point for point in the second half, and the Trojans went down to defeat 62-46.
Braden Vogt was the only Trojans player in double-digits with 11 points.
Any worries the Hillsboro Trojan basketball teams could have had over a daunting road game Friday night at Pratt were laid to rest with both the boys and girls picking up tough wins.
The Lady Trojans fought back from a 13-8 first-quarter deficit behind stifling defense to push past the Lady Greenbacks, 47-35.
The boys had to dig down deep to outlast the Greenbacks, 38-35, putting the game away at the free-throw line the final 4 minutes for their fourth consecutive win.
The Lady Trojans found themselves trailing after the first quarter, 13-8, despite shooting a hot 57 percent from the floor.
The defense turned the tables the second quarter as Hillsboro limited Pratt to a frigid 1-for-10 from the floor and 28 percent on the night.
Hillsboro was able to cash in 18 points off 19 Pratt turnovers and shot a near-perfect 9-of-10 at the free-throw line and 43 percent overall.
Tassanee Sanchez had a game-high 18 points, Alex Ratzlaff hit for 10, and Abby Sechrist added eight on 4-of-4 shooting.
The boys had anything but an easy time with the Greenbacks, who stayed right on the Trojans’ heels the entire game in spite of Hillsboro racing to a 13-4 first quarter lead.
The game became a wrestling match the second quarter with Pratt’s physical play instrumental in staying in Hillsboro’s rear-view mirror.
By halftime, the Trojans were clinging to a 19-17 lead.
After taking a 24-17 lead just under 2 minutes into the second half, Hillsboro went unconscious from the floor, making do with 2 free throws the remainder of the quarter.
The Greenbacks took off for a 13-3 run, overtaking the Trojans 30-27 midway through the fourth quarter.
Hillsboro turned to its free throw shooting from there, draining 8-for-10 to help boost their record to 12-3 on the year and 5-1 in league play.
Preston Loewen put the finishing touch on the game with under 10 seconds left, making it a two possession game with his final of 4 consecutive free-throws.
Austin Cross finished with a team-high 11 points, with Darian Ratzlaff and Elias Werth each adding eight.