NORTH LEWISBURG – Triad fell to visiting Benjamin Logan, 58-33, in non-league girls basketball on Monday.
The Cardinals again had trouble hanging onto the ball, something that has plagued the young squad in the early going. Triad gave the ball away 30 times.
Benjamin Logan led 29-15 at halftime, due in large part to a flurry of points off turnovers.
“It’s the extra work, like we’ve talked about before,” THS Coach Jeff Merklin said. “Most of us have to deal with a process of where we’re at and where we want to be. I got done what I wanted to get done (defensively), but we gave them points off turnovers. I’m still real proud of them. That’s a bigger school and the effort is there. I hope they don’t get discouraged.”
Things got better after halftime, as the Cardinals were able to execute their offense much more effectively. Unfortunately, the ball just didn’t find the hoop for the home squad.
“We actually got a lot of good looks, even with the ball handling being a step or two down,” Merklin said. “You’ve got to be able to handle the ball with confidence and aggressiveness and then you have to have the confidence to put it down. Shooting is part of the fundamental skill set that you have to have.”
The Raiders continued to pour in a steady dose of buckets, especially inside, and pulled away gradually to the final.
“Although it’s sometimes difficult to watch when you’re the other coach, when they have such a good player – Current, and she’s so good,” Merklin said. “She handles the ball well. She is so fundamental with the ball and her teammates are coached well.”
Nikki Current had 27 points to lead all scorers for Benjamin Logan. For Triad, Alea Ferguson had 12 points, while Tori Thomas and Kristin Bailey each poured in 8.
In the jayvee contest, Benjamin Logan won 29-9. Shelby Sheets had 5 points in that game for Triad.
Triad (1-4) plays at Fairbanks today.
