Cheney trips up tired Trojans, 49-46 years ago
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
While most basketball teams were able to start practice on schedule, the Hillsboro Trojans were still playing football.
That was a factor Monday night for Hillsboro as it opened the season against the host team of the Cheney Cardinal Classic.
Despite a big third quarter for the Trojans, Hillsboro was unable to finish off Cheney, which took a 49-46 victory.
"We're not in the same game shape that we should be right now," said Trojan coach Darrell Knoll. "That was very evident."
On Friday, Hillsboro hosts Smoky Valley. Tip-off is set for about 8 p.m.
Against Cheney, Hillsboro missed seven shots during a four-minute span, while the Cardinals used an 8-0 run to help take a 32-22 lead at halftime.
The Trojans used a 17-2 run to start the second half to take a 39-34 lead. Foul-troubled Lucas Hamm had a team-high 13 points, getting nine of Hillsboro's 17 points during the spurt.
"The third quarter was the only quarter we ran offense," said Knoll. "We cut hard, we moved the ball, we did a lot of things we need to be able to do."
But Hamm's three-point play with 2:35 left in the third quarter would be the last points the Trojans would get for the next four minutes of play. Hillsboro led by only one point, 39-38, at the end of the third quarter.
The teams struggled in the final period. With the game knotted at 46, Cheney scored the go-ahead bucket with just over a minute left, to lead 46-48.
The Trojans had a chance to tie with :04 left, but Hamm's shot bounced off the front of the rim.
"We had some good looks that were very makeable shots, at the end we had two great looks that went off the front of the rim," Knoll said. "That's just [fatigue]."
"I was proud of the guys coming back the second half," Knoll added. "No matter what the outcome, we were going to compete and we were not going to allow them to come out and think they're going to run away with it."
