BOURBON — The matchup between the Northern State Conference’s two unbeaten teams was a little lopsided Friday in Bourbon. The Triton (11-4, 5-0 NSC) and Culver (9-5, 4-1 NSC) girls basketball teams each entered the game in the Trojan Trench at 4-0 in the NSC, but the host Lady Trojans made things anticlimactic, winning 52-37. “This is a big confidence game for us, because the girls knew it was a big game,” Triton coach Adam Heckaman said about downing a Culver team he had lost to six of the previous seven times. “They were 4-0 in conference, we were 4-0. It's a sectional team, it's a Bi-County team. It's one of those teams we could play a few times. They wanted to come out and get the upper hand today. They did a good job.” A big reason for the blowout was how the Lady Cavaliers responded after junior Kayla Shaffer picked up her second foul with 4:25 left in the first quarter. Prior to their star player getting the foul, the game was tied at 5-5, but when she re-entered the game with 1:50 left in the half, the Lady Trojans held a 24-7 lead. “Shaffer is a big piece of what they do,” Heckaman said. “When she got into foul trouble and wasn't able to play much in the first half, that helped us out.” After one quarter, Culver was within 10-7, but it fell apart in the second, committing 14 turnovers and shooting just two field goals, while getting outscored 17-0 to trail 26-7 at the half. A big reason for those turnovers was the play of Triton senior Shana Anderson at the top of the team’s 1-2-2 zone. Using her length to shut down passing lanes, Anderson picked up five of her game-high nine steals in the second quarter. “We knew we could get after them if it wasn't Shaffer and (junior Tatum) Schultz up there,” Heckaman said. “As soon as Shaffer went out, and Schultz was out for a little bit, (Anderson) knew she could turn it on and get some tips and deflections. That was when we went on a run, because we were able to get after those shorter guards.” Along with her nine steals, Anderson also had a game-high 16 points to go with five rebounds and two assists. Also for Triton, junior Taylor Hatfield had 11 points, three assists and three steals, followed by senior Breanna Lemler’s 10 points and four steals. “Breanna Lemler had a heckuva game tonight, and caps it off with being named homecoming queen (after the game),” Heckaman said. “This was her best game of the year, by far.” Drawing the focus of the Lady Cavs’ defense, sophomore Kylie Mason had eight points on 4-of-8 shooting. “They focused on Kylie, took her out of the game by face guarding her, but she still ended up with eight points,” Heckaman said. “She did a great job of letting things happen for her and letting her teammates pick her up. Her teammates did a great job.” For Culver, sophomore Donna Zehner was the top player with 10 points and 11 rebounds, followed by sophomore Mickella Hardy’s nine points and eight boards. Shaffer finished the game with zero points on 0-of-8 shooting, fouling out midway through the fourth. The win leaves Triton in the driver’s seat for the NSC crown, with Jimtown (3-10, 0-3 NSC) coming to town Jan. 26, followed by its regular season finale at LaVille (7-6, 3-1 NSC) on Feb. 1. “We have two (NSC) games left, but neither of them are going to be easy,” Heckaman said. “LaVille is playing some great ball right now, and they're right there at the top half of the conference, and they cause some problems for us with their size. Jimtown's always tough. They have a coach up there in Gene (Johnson), who's been there as long as he has – they're going to find ways.” Getting away from conference play for a couple weeks, the Lady Trojans will now prepare for the annual TCU Bi-County Tournament. In a tournament in which Triton’s never reached the title game, Heckaman hopes to change that this season, beginning with their first-round game at home against Argos Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Triton already defeated Argos 54-47 in Argos on Nov. 13, but Heckaman is cautious of the 8-7 Lady Dragons. “The one thing about this group is, they know we need to focus on one game at a time and the next game is Argos,” he said. “Gary (Teel) does a great job over there. He has a good team, and it's another sectional team we've already played. So, we're familiar with each other. They know our strengths, we know their strengths, and we know each other's weaknesses. So, it's going to be a good game.”
