By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
There is no doubt the East Troy girls basketball team can put up some huge offensive numbers every time they take the floor.
But what’s becoming even more apparent is how tough the Trojans are defensively.
In fact, they are down right stingy.
East Troy, ranked second in Division 3, held both opponents at last week’s Badger Tournament to single digits in every quarter en route to a pair of convincing victories.
The Trojans (8-0 overall) opened the tournament with a 61-21 win over Slinger last Thursday night, followed by a 57-28 win over Badger in the title contest Friday.
Defensive intensity was the theme, East Troy coach Jeff Brown said.
“We are really getting after people pretty well in the half court, containing people, we are doing a good job cutting off gaps and a little bit better job rebounding,” he said.
“After the Edgerton game, where they sort of embarrassed a little bit in the first quarter, the kids are a little more focused on defense and take a little more pride in it.”
Against Badger, the Trojans jumped out to a 15-6 first-quarter lead and held a commanding 30-14 advantage by halftime.
The second half was similar to the first, as East Troy outscored the hosts 27-14 to seal the win.
Breanna Gaspervich led the way with 16 points, followed by Alicia Oleson with 12 and Andrea Olsen with 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Both Oleson and Olsen had big nights, Brown said.
“Alicia Oleson had a great second quarter, running things and taking care of some things,” he said.
“Andrea Olson had maybe one of her better games I’ve ever seen her play. … Her defense on their point guard was really, really good.”
Rachel Atchison chipped in with nine points, five rebounds and three steals, while Frankie Morris grabbed five rebounds.
Brown was pleased to bring home the tournament title.
“It was a good win,” he said. “Badger is always well coached, they’re not a weak sister by any means. We had to play them at their place. All those kind of things make it a good win for us.”
The opening-round contest was over before it began, as East Troy sprinted out to a 25-2 first-quarter lead.
Brown said the Slinger girls and coaches appeared shocked at what they had to contend with.
“I think they were absolutely amazed by our quickness,” he said. “They had some good post players, but they were never able to really get into the game because our guards were just after them the whole time.
“My kids hadn’t played in a while, so maybe they were hungry to get it going. When you play good defense, when somebody makes a mistake, it’s easy to find it. The kids are taking a lot of pride in it.”
The Trojans led 37-9 at halftime and never were contested. East Troy finished the game with a 24-12 advantage the final 16 minutes.
Gaspervich had 19 points, five assists and seven steals to lead the way, followed by Atchison with 19 points and five rebounds. Morris had five rebounds as well.
Back to conference play
East Troy returned to Rock Valley Conference play Thursday night against visiting Jefferson.
The Trojans (5-0 RVC) beat Jefferson 71-58 the first game of the season, but the game was tied at 14-14 after the opening quarter before East Troy pulled away.
Jefferson entered play this week at 3-5 overall and 2-3 in the RVC.
“I think we were a little surprised at how hard they played (the first game),” Brown said. “But we know who they are a little bit better this time.”
Following that contest, East Troy travels to Whitewater next Tuesday night at 7:15 p.m. for the first of two huge RVC matchups this season with the Whippets.
Whitewater began the week at 9-0 overall and 5-0 in conference play. The Whippets, who tied East Troy for the RVC title last year, is ranked seventh in Division 2.
“They’re a great team, they have a great player (point guard Brooke Trewyn), and it will go a long way to see who gets the first (advantage) in the conference,” Brown said. “We’re both undefeated, so whoever wins has a foot up on everybody else.”
