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South Tama Trojans fall to CCA in close contest

STC’s Madie Bacon with a jump shot on Friday, December 19. The Trojans fell to CCA 45-44. News Herald Photo/Allison Graham

The South Tama Trojans (5-5) hosted the Clear Creek-Amana Clippers (4-5) on Friday, December 18 for a WaMaC Conference contest.

Starting for the Trojans were Kallie Hala, Dani Stubbs, Madie Bacon, Ryan Robers and Tieranny Keahna. Starting for the Clippers were Brianna DeShaw, Claire Navara, Natalia Turner, Abbi Kinnaird and Erin Navara.

The first quarter of the game the Trojans opted for a zone defense, which worked very effectively throughout the first half. They played tough in the first half, keeping their arms up and shifting their zone around quickly.

The Clippers defensive strategy was to double team Keahna, which was fairly effective. The tactic kept Keahna off balance all night.

Maci Fritz came off of the bench in the second quarter and provided her usual spark of energy on the court. Offensively, neither team was hitting many shots in the first quarter. The Trojans did begin to find a rhythm towards the end of the half. Senior Madie Bacon went to work and took the lead from the Clippers with two minutes remaining on the clock. The Trojans led just narrowly 16-13 going into the half.

The Trojan starters were back in for the second half but appeared sluggish especially on defense. The Clippers took advantage and adjusted to shooting from beyond the perimeter. In the third quarter alone Claire Navara and Natalia Turner scored 15 points combined from beyond the three-point line. The Trojans were on the Clippers heels and struggled to adjust. Ryan Roberts helped keep the Trojans in the game offensively with shots at key moments in the game. A push towards the end of the quarter brought STC to within one.

The Clippers continued to find success from the three-point line in the fourth quarter. CCA kept the pressure on the Trojans and kept them from putting up points heading into the final possession. The game came down to a scramble and with 5 seconds remaining Kallie Hala would be sent to the free throw line. With CCA leading 45-44, Hala had a lot of pressure on her shoulders. Unfortunately both attempts fell short and the Clippers took the win.

Bacon led the Trojans with 21 points.

South Tama will be back in action with a trip to West Delaware on January 5.

STATS Pts. Stubbs 4, Bacon 21, Roberts 5, Keahna 14 FGM/FGA Hala 0/5, Fritz 0/2, Stubbs 1/6, Bacon 7/24, Roberts 2/4, Keahna 6/11 Reb Hala 2, Fritz 2, Stubbs 8, Bacon 5, Roberts 4, Keahna 4, Asst. Hala 2, Stubbs 7, Bacon 2, Keahna 1 Blcks Stubbs 3