Season of promise for Lady Trojans

While their season may have come to an end with two losses at the 5B District Tournament in Belgrade, there was plenty to be proud of for the 2016-17 Whitehall High School girls basketball team.

The Lady Trojans opened the year with three consecutive wins, and would finish the season with six. This was more than their combined win total the previous three seasons.

Head Coach Herman Gerving said the highlight of the season was the listening to all the goals of the senior class of Ann Russell, Rachel Smith, Kaya Welch, Bryn Welker, Mesquite Melton and Monica Sepulveda.

"What a special group," he said.

Gerving added winning six games was uplifting, and proudly discussed the point differential between 2015-16 and this season. He said last season they allowed 56.6 points per game and scored 30.9 for a differential of 25.7. This season the team allowed 40.5 per game and scored 38.8 for a differential of 1.7.

"Our scores were much closer and we were in most games," he said. Overall, very proud of the progress that was made."

Fifth seeded Whitehall fell in the opening round of the District Tournament 43-33 to fourth seeded and rival Jefferson County.

It was a slow moving first half for both squads with the Lady Panthers taking a 16-11 lead into the break.

Jefferson County would pull away in the third quarter, outscoring Whitehall 14-10 to take a nine-point lead into the final frame.

Freshman Isabel Evans led the Lady Trojans with nine points. Welker and Welch each had seven, Dorothy Mastel and Smith both had four, and Russell finished with two points.

Gerving said the team allowed to many offensive rebounds in the second half while watching their field goal percentage drop.

Whitehall was eliminated from the tournament with a 55-29 loss to Broadwater County.

Gerving said his team came out early Saturday morning ready to play, and that is a difficult task.