Troup County vs Trinity Basketball
Lions Basketball Teams Get Key Wins Against Troup County
Ethan Power
February 1, 2024
On Monday, the Trinity Lions hosted region opponent Troup County Tigers. Both Trinity teams were looking for the region sweep against the Tigers in Monday’s games. The matchup against Troup was the fifth of six games over an 8-day span for the Lions. Girls went 3-1 in the week of 1/22 with their lone loss being by 8 to Starr’s Mill. The Lady Lions outscored opponents in the other games by a combined total of 108 points with two wins against LaGrange and one against Riverdale. The Boys team split their 4 games in the week of 1/22 with wins against Starr’s Mill and Riverdale, while falling twice to LaGrange.
The Lady Lions opened the night with a slow start offensively, only scoring 26 points in the first half. Going into halftime, the Tigers held a 3-point lead over the Lions, but Trinity came out of the locker room with an offensive explosion. Lady Lions doubled their score in the third quarter, scoring another 26 points with Madison Bennett getting 15 for herself. With another 21 points in the fourth quarter, the Lady Lions earned the 73-47 victory over the Lady Tigers to remain in the 3-seed in current region standings.
Gabbie Grooms led the Lady Lions offensively with 22 points with 5 three point FGs made. Madison Bennett was right behind her with 20 points and 4 three pointers. Reese Anderson was unstoppable under the basket with 15 points. Kyva Holloway added 12 points and Mary Ruth Adkins added 4 points in the victory for the Lady Lions.
Just when it seemed offensive struggles would be nonexistent, the Boys started off their game with their own. Scoring 16 in the first and 13 in the second, the Lions went into the half down by 5 points. Kalen Shemwell, coming off a double-double and the game-winning shot against Starr’s Mill, had racked up 10 points before the break. The Lions, like the girls’ team, came out of the locker room after the half and found their way with a 20-point third quarter and then 17 more to close out the game for the 66-61 victory over Troup.
Kalen Shemwell led the team with 19 points. Jon Koger and Cameron Wallace each had 15 points. Jojo Foster added 8 points. Porter Haire and Caden Anderson each had 4 points. Mark Hayden added a point from the free throw. Lots of contributors in the big, much-needed region win for the Lions to continue their push for the playoffs as the season begins to wind down.
The teams were back in action again on Tuesday against the North Clayton Eagles. The girls won in a 75-38 blowout. Madison Bennett tied the school record for most 3-point FG’s in a single game with 10 in her 32-point performance. The boys team fell in a double overtime heartbreaker in a game that went back and forth, with the Eagles eventually pulling away for the victory in the second overtime period.
Trinity’s teams will be back in action once again on Friday as they will travel to Fayetteville. The teams will face off against region opponent Fayette County who holds the top seed in the region for both the girls and boys. Girls game will be at 6:00 and the boys will play at 7:30.