Trojans season ends in hard-fought District Championship game

The Triton College women's basketball season came to an end Saturday (March 14) when the team could not maintain a hot start against 32-1 Williston State in a 70-62 loss in the North Central District championship game at the Jorndt Athletic Complex gymnasium.

Key Trojans got into foul trouble and came up limping in the second half, forcing coach Drew Winston to field just four players on two different possessions as an otherwise stellar season concluded with a 24-10 record.

Winston was nothing but positive in his post-game speech to the team, all knowing they had to work heavy minutes as the coach again dressed just six players during the entire postseason run due to injuries.

"I told them how proud I was," he said. "People counted us out early. We were 3-8. There was adversity from the start. We had injuries. It was a testament to how hard we played."

For the second time in six years and the first time on their home court, the Trojans reached the district championship game, which qualifies the winner for the NJCAA Division I tournament held in Lake Charles, La.  But making the trip down South this time will be the Tetons from Bulls legend Phil Jackson's remote North Dakota hometown.

Williston State won its 28^th in a row by steadily cutting into a 20-11 Triton second-quarter lead to eventually take a 31-29 lead at halftime, outscoring the Trojans 22-12 in the quarter.

Triton was hampered when star Jayla Rankin and productive sidekick Jazzmine Smith got into early foul trouble. As the two teams played to repeated one-point scores in the fourth quarter, Smith fouled out with just more than five minutes to go.

"We had to go with our three 'bigs' in the lineup due to the foul trouble," said Winston. Favoring a smaller, faster lineup to convert defensive stops into quick points, the taller lineup did not play to the preferred offensive rhythm.

Making matters worse was Rankin and Jada Branch having to briefly leave the game for a possession each to tend to injuries, forcing Winston to field just four players.

Meanwhile, Tetons freshman Leila Heffernan came up big in the fourth quarter, finishing with 15 points and nine rebounds. A Dani Jordan layup proved the dagger, giving Williston State a 66-57 lead around the three-minute mark.

Even with the downer ending, assorted Trojans made strong statements for their basketball futures in a season that worked to Winston's and his staff's design until the final half of the district game.

Rankin had a game-high 18 points and six assists in her Triton finale and averaged more than 19 per game, earning national acclaim. Smith, Jada Branch (16 points) and Alivia Brown (13 points) were productive offensively. Charity Anderson (game-high 13 rebounds) and Kyra Paul (12 rebounds) proved able on the boards.

"They did a helluva job," Winston said in his final grade of the players. "They never dropped their heads. They never quit."

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(Story by tritonathletics.com contributor George Castle)