Trojan girls' JV seeking first win in 2023

West had a 5-4 lead in the first period but fell behind 16-9 at the half after being outscored 12-4 in the second.

“The second quarter decided it. We just don’t rebound well and we are more successful in man and when we press. We were not successful in man tonight, which is abnormal. So we went to a zone and that’s just foreign to us,” West girls’ JV coach Tanna Tilley said.

“In my opinion it was just not the game that we’ve been successful at, like driving to the basket, getting loose balls. They were more aggressive, they got the loose balls, they got the putbacks. They broke our press. So the things that we find success with, we did not have success with those things tonight.”

In the third period, the Trojan JV once again had a 5-4 quarter against the Wildcats to cut the lead to 20-14. But New Hanover had a three-point shot and 2-3 shooting from the foul line to keep the Trojans in check as each team had nine points for the 29-23 finish.

“It was a learning experience. We adjusted in the second half and we did much better. We normally score off layups and driving in, and we couldn’t do those things because they had a tight zone. We took shots. If we could have made our shots we would have been up but we couldn’t make them,” Tilley said.

Nevaeh Williams led the Trojan JV with 10 points including a three-point basket and 3-3 shooting from the foul line. Maddie Richardson and Tara Jones each scored three points. Abby Wilkes scored four points. Autumn Wyatt added two points and Ahyanna Jackson was 1-2 at the free throw line.

Topsail 26, West Brunswick 23

West lost their first 2023 game to Topsail 26-23 in Hampstead on Jan. 3.

The Pirates took the lead in the first period 4-2 but the Trojans outscored the home team 9-6 in the second for a halftime lead 11-10.

The teams came out for the second half and played an even third period with each team scoring eight points. West maintained their one-point lead 19-18 but in the fourth the Trojans only hit one field goal and two free throws while the Pirates scored eight points to retake the lead and win 26-23.

Wilkes and Williams led the Trojans with eight points each. Wilkes had six points from the field and hit 2-4 on free throws. Williams had six points and was 2-6 on foul shots. Kelsey Lykins scored five points shooting 1-2 on free throws. Richardson added two points.