A tough week for the Atlantic Trojans came to an end as they fell to the Kuemper Catholic Knights 75-44 in Carroll on Friday night. From start to finish the Knights were the better team. They moved the ball well, had great play from their guards, took advantage of their opportunities, and made life difficult for the Atlantic offense. Although Gavin McLaren and Kale Jensen put forth a strong effort, it was not enough to keep up with Kuemper Catholic as the Knights scored at least 16 points in every quarter. The Trojans, now 2-8, will look to rebound as they enter the home stretch.

The Knights roared out of the gate in the opening quarter, in what turned out to be their most productive frame. Scoring 21 points, they quickly built a double-digit lead. Five of the four starters scored at least two field goals, led by guard Brock Badding, who ended the quarter with five. All throughout the night, but particularly in the first quarter, the Knights had lots of success driving the lane. Meanwhile, Kuemper Catholic made things difficult for the Trojans. Atlantic scored just four points on a pair of field goals from Gavin and Hudson McLaren as they struggled to find offensive production, especially in the paint. The lack of offensive production, combined with the efficiency of the Kuemper Catholic offense, saw the Trojans down by 17 at the end of the first quarter.

Although the momentum solely sided with the Knights for the entirety of the first quarter, the Trojans had a good start to the second quarter. They outscored the knights 8-5 in the opening three minutes, which included a Gavin McLaren three-pointer. However, Kuemper Catholic quickly tightened up. The Trojans were held to just five more points the rest of the frame. On the other end, the Knights added 14 more, once again led by Badding, who added eight more, including a pair of three-pointers. Due to their success in the paint early on, the perimeter opened up for the Knights as they hit four of their seven long balls in the second. Although their three-point shooting wasn’t prolific, it helped build on what became an insurmountable 40-17 lead at the half.

Although the outcome didn’t change in the second half, it was Atlantic’s most productive quarter. Gavin McLaren hit back-to-back threes to add to his team leading 13 points, while Jensen picked up five to bring his total to 12. However, at this point in the game, the starters’ time was limited, as both teams started to work in younger players. Freshmen Benton McLaren and James Brauer both showed well for the Trojans late in the third and fourth quarters. McLaren showed a particular knack at driving the rim and was rewarded with a field goal and multiple trips to the free-throw line. However, Kuemper Catholic’s young players were able to keep the distance as the clock wound down. Despite the loss, head coach Dalton Franken was pleased with the effort Gavin McLaren and Kale Jensen put forth.

Although he thought there were areas in which the Trojans could have been better, he also credited the Knights.

With a little over a month left in the regular season, Franken’s message centers around setting the tone and competing for a full 32 minutes.

The schedule gets a little lighter for the Trojans, who will take on Clarinda and Harlan next week. They will be back in action Tuesday on the road against the Cardinals, with the tipoff set for 7:30 pm.