STC’s Bre Riha looks to pass the ball to Tylese Rosenberger in Maquoketa on Friday, December 13. Chronicle Photo/Allison Graham

South Tama girls and boys basketball travelled to Maquoketa for a rare girl/boy varsity double header on Friday, December 13.

The girls were first to tip off on Friday, with the Trojans facing the Class 3A 13th ranked Cardinals on their home court. The task was quite literally a tall order for the Trojans as they came up against size they just could not compete against. Maquoketa’s roster included four girls at 6’0 or taller. South Tama’s tallest competitor is Adriana Cervantes who is around 5’9.

The height difference and speed of the Cardinals proved to be too much for STC.

The Trojans went scoreless in the first quarter. They had a decent second quarter, scoring nine points. However a combined five points in the second half wasn’t going to cut enough into Maquoketa’s lead.

The Trojans continue to really struggle with ball handling. Any sort of press gives STC fits and they wind up turning the ball over before they can even get into their half of the court.

STC’s Kenny Balderas (23) on defense in Maquoketa during the cross conference contest on Friday, December 13. Chronicle Photo/Allison Graham

Bre Riha led with seven points and Adriana Cervantes and Neena Lasley each had three rebounds.

Boys

The boys followed the girls game. STC boys also struggled against the Cardinals.

The first quarter was pretty rocky for the Trojans. They scored just one free throw. However in the second quarter the Trojans showed some signs of life. They scored 15 points coming within just two points of the Cardinals lead. The offense got the few STC fans in the crowd on their feet.

But before the half was up Maquoketa found their footing and regained control going into half up 31-16.

The Trojans were unable to put a stop to Maquoketa’s speed in the second half. Defensively the Cardinals were quite scrappy forcing turnovers and producing steals that created more offensive opportunities. The STC boys fell 72-32.

The WaMaC is going to continue to be a struggle for both the girls and boys teams as they just don’t have much varsity experience.