For the second time in as many games, the Atlantic Trojans dropped both games of their doubleheader. Tuesday night saw two low scoring affairs as the Clarinda Cardinals edged the Trojans with the girls falling 37-35 while the boys dropped their game by a score of 59-47. While both games were inherently different, the defenses gave the Trojans a chance to win in both. After a chaotic final minute, the girls had the ball with a chance to tie or win in the final seconds, while the boys where in the game well into the fourth quarter before Clarinda pulled away. Ultimately, the lack of consistent offensive production cost the Trojans as the girls fell to 6-7 while the boys dropped to 2-9.

GIRLS

The girls’ game was characterized by tough defense and missed opportunities. Defensively, the Trojans played quite well. They were the more aggressive than Clarinda and forced more turnovers. They allowed double-digit points in a quarter just once (10 points in the second quarter). However, the offense struggled to provide consistent support. Although the Clarinda defense deserves credit for making it difficult for the Trojans to work the paint, Atlantic had opportunities. They led just once in the game in the fourth quarter but could not hold it.

However, heading into the final minute the Trojans had a chance to win the game. Through pressure packed, tense moments, the Trojans had the final possession with a chance to tie or take the lead. However, Clarinda was incredibly smart in using their available fouls to take valuable seconds off the clock. When they had no more fouls to give and 9 seconds left, Atlantic had two inbounds to get a look at the basket, but ultimately never threatened. Makenna Schroeder led the Trojans with 10 points while Brynne Lamp and Katrina Williams each contributed eight.

BOYS

The boys did a lot of good things. They had a strong start to the game and a strong start to the second half. All throughout the night, they found ways to drive the lane and earn trips to the free throw line. Kale Jensen went 11-for-13 at the charity stripe while Gavin McLaren went a perfect 4-for-4 in the first half. However, after giving up the lead late in the first and surrendering back-to-back threes to start the second, they never led again. Although the constantly fought back throughout the course of the game, they could never get over the hump. To make matters worse, both Jensen and Gavin McLaren fouled out taking the team’s top two scores out of the game. Despite the lack of offense, the effort was there for the Trojans. Hudson McLaren had his best game of the season contributing 18 points while Jensen had a strong effort with 17.