By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
As it turns out, the East Troy girls basketball team is human after all.
After a season full of lopsided victories and plenty of optimism, the Trojans ran into a tough Division 1 foe in Franklin Monday night.
And for a half, the Trojans were more than up to the task, as they took a one-point lead into halftime.
Unfortunately for East Troy, the Sabers answered the challenge in the second half and took control en route to a 67-52 non-conference win. The loss dropped East Troy to 20-1 overall, while Franklin improved to 18-4.
East Troy, ranked second in Division 3, closes its regular season Thursday night against visiting Whitewater. The Trojans take a 15-0 Rock Valley Conference record into that contest.
“Hopefully, this will show us what need to get better at,” East Troy coach Jeff Brown said. “We lost to a team that is now 18-4. Two of their losses are to Oak Creek, the No. 2 team in Division 1. Franklin is rated 13th in Division 1.
“We talked after the game about being disappointed but not devastated because of the loss.”
Against Franklin, the Trojans led 14-13 after the first quarter and 28-27 by halftime.
After the intermission, however, the next two quarters belonged to the Sabers. Franklin led by four points heading into the fourth quarter before it pulled away with a 22-11 advantage to seal the win.
“In the first half, we were able to get some good shots,” Brown said. “In the second half, we turned the ball over too much, and then some of the shots we usually make we didn’t knock down.”
East Troy trailed by four points heading into the fourth quarter. Franklin built the lead to nine points and then clinched the win at the free-throw line.
Andrea Olsen led the Trojans with 18 points on the strength of an eight-for-nine effort at the free-throw line. Rachel Atchison was next with 15 points, followed by Breanna Gaspervich with eight and Alicia Oleson with six.
Franklin’s Cassidy Mihalko led all scorers with 21 points.
Following Thursday’s season finale with Whitewater, the Trojans will turn their attention to the postseason and the Division 3 regional tournament that begins next week.
East Troy, which made the school’s first ever trip to the state tournament last year, earned the top seed in the regional and a first-round bye.
The Trojans will open regional action Friday, March 1, against either Saint Francis or University School of Milwaukee. Those two teams play in a first-round contest next Tuesday, Feb. 26.
“The key to success for the rest of the year is knowing who we are,” Brown said. “Do what we do best and eliminate mistakes. I know my team is looking forward to the upcoming challenges.”
Trojans clinch RVC title
East Troy put the finishing touches on the school’s third conference title and its second straight with a 72-49 RVC win over visiting McFarland last Thursday night.
The Trojans led 20-9 after the first quarter and 36-22 by halftime. A 25-10 third quarter sealed the deal.
McFarland led 7-0 early in the first quarter before East Troy scored 20 of the next 22 points to regain control.
“I was really happy for the kids,” Brown said. “I am really pleased for this group because they work hard and are very unselfish.”
Gaspervich led a balanced attack with 20 points, followed by Atchison with 15 and Olsen and Oleson each with 12. Oleson also had eight rebounds and six assists, while Gaspervich had a team-high five steals.
