The Trojans (0-1, 1-2) beat the Red Devils at Noxon on Saturday for their first win of the year. 

“We got Gabe back and that really helped our depth,” Andersen said, talking about his senior guard and returning leading scorer Gabe Hickman. “We played much better having our leading scorer back.”

Hickman finished with 21 points, and Troy showed greater confidence with an important member of its starting lineup back on the court. 

“Hopefully, we can build from that win,” Andersen said. “We played like we have been practicing.”

The Trojans will reintroduce senior wing Luke Haggerty at 7 p.m. on Jan. 4 at home against Libby (0-1, 0-3). On Jan. 3, Troy travels to Thompson Falls (1-2) for a 4 p.m. affair. 

PLAINS 62, TROY 53:

The Trojan (0-1, 0-2) basketball team watched a first-quarter lead slip away in a Friday district game at Plains. A six-point lead shifted to a 62-53 road defeat. 

“We ran out of gas without extra bodies,” Coach Corey Andersen said, referring to seniors Luke Haggerty and Gabe Hickman,  who remained sidelined after an off-the-court incident. “We didn’t play poorly. We were just fighting time without some of our guys.”

Sophomore Sean Opland led Troy with 19 points and six rebounds. Junior Gage Tallmadge added 13 points. The Trojan defense grew tired as the game wore on, every quarter allowing more points than they had in the previous frame. Still, the game was within a single point with four minutes remaining before a pair of threes sealed the game for Plains.

“We switched to zone after our guys were gassed from playing man-to-man,  and they made the shots,” Andersen said. “After that we couldn’t get over the hump.”

Senior Nathan Olds was the only other Trojan in double-digits, scoring 12 points. Fellow senior Bruce Metz scored five points. 

TROY 43, NOXON 20: At Noxon, the Lady Trojans (0-1, 1-2) earned their first win of the season behind the tremendous play by their leader Kellie Lundin on Saturday.

“That was probably one of the best  games she’s ever played,” Young said. “She caused 10-to-12 turnovers through her tenacity on the defensive end.”

Lundin led the Lady Trojans with 17 points. Caitlin Johnston was a force down low, recording 16 points including 12 in the first half.

“The biggest takeaway from this game is that we gave the same effort in our first win as we did against Plains,” Young said. “The girls are showing they are willing to give maximum effort every game. It is fun to watch. They deserve all the credit. I hope we can continue that throughout the season.”

The Lady Trojans should be well-rested when they return to action at 5 p.m. on Jan. 10 when they host Bigfork. 

PLAINS 53, TROY 19:  The Lady Trojans (0-1, 0-2) watched the Plains Trotters run circles around them in their first Western-7 B hoops contest. Plains came out blazing and cruised to a 53-19 victory on Friday. 

“Plains is probably the most athletic team in Western B,” Coach Justin Young said. “They won the state track title last year. They have very fast athletes. They’re the team to beat in district.”