STC’s Makayla Backen (15) smiles and is congratulated by teammate Bre Riha (25) after hitting a three point shot. The girls are headed to the bench for a timeout on Friday, December 20. News Herald Photo/Allison Graham

Before the holiday break, South Tama got in one final game. The Trojans hosted West Delaware on Friday, December 20. The Hawks and STC both came into the night 0-7. Unfortunately for the Trojans West Delaware left 1-7 after a 57-40 win. The loss has the Trojans still looking for a win.

Despite the loss the Trojans had some positive takeaways from the matchup. STC scored the most points in a single game yet this year. Makayla Backen was the leading shooter for the Trojans, scoring an impressive 22 points. She was 7-10 from field goal range and even better she was 5-6 from the three point line. The next leading scorer for STC was Tylese Rosenberger with seven points.

STC continues to struggle with the same basic skills needed for the game of basketball. They don’t have a dominant ball handler. The missing link for the Trojans leads to many many turnovers throughout the 32 minutes on the court.

The Trojans had a brief lead in the first quarter. Down 3-0, STC’s Shelby Slaven sunk a three point shot for the tie. Aubrey Roberts followed that up with a three point basket. The Hawks quickly cut into that small lead earning a 10 point lead by the second quarter. The Hawks were able to maintain and grow that lead through the rest of the night.

On the defensive end, Tylese Rosenberger had 12 rebounds to close out the night. It was the first game this season the Trojans made it through four quarters without the 35 point rule being enacted for continuous clock. They ended the first half of their season on a high note.

The Trojans will return from their holiday break on Friday, January 3 when they will travel to Vinton-Shellsburg (4-4) for a conference contest.