By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
The game plan for the East Troy girls basketball team really isn’t a secret or a surprise to anyone.
And when the Trojans execute that plan, there also isn’t much anybody can do to stop it.
East Troy blitzed both of its regional opponents last weekend with early scoring runs to cruise to two more victories and a berth in this weekend’s sectional tournament.
The Trojans, ranked second in Division 3, opened the regional with a 74-42 win Friday night over visiting Saint Francis, followed by a 71-35 victory Saturday over Milwaukee School of Languages.
East Troy, now 23-1 overall, advanced to the sectional semifinal Thursday night against Kettle Moraine Lutheran at Marquette.
“(The regional title) means you get to play in the sectional, but it’s a nice accomplishment for kids who work very hard,” East Troy coach Jeff Brown said.
Against Milwaukee, the Trojans doubled up the visitors in the first quarter and held a 22-11 lead after the opening eight minutes.
East Troy extended the lead to 33-19 at halftime and never was challenged from there. The Trojans closed out the game on a 38-16 scoring run the last two quarters.
“The game plan was to make it a fast game and use their lack of depth against them,” Brown said. “We came out in the third quarter and really got after them defensively.”
Brown was pleased to see his team hold Milwaukee to single digits in three of the four quarters.
“Our kids did a great job knowing what they were trying to do and stopped them from doing it,” he said.
Rachel Atchison led the Trojans with 15 points and six rebounds, followed by Andrea Olsen with 14 points, Breanna Gaspervich with 12 and Bryn Riemer with nine. Alicia Olsen chipped in with eight assists and five steals.
Big first quarter in opener
East Troy took visiting Saint Francis out of the game before it even started Friday night with a 27-2 first-quarter run en route to the 32-point win.
The key was simple, Brown said.
“The press was very good, and we got a lot of layups off that,” he said.
East Troy led 40-12 at halftime. The Trojans closed out the game with 34 second-half points as Brown cleared his bench.
Saint Francis used a fast-paced, up-and-down the court style, which was a bit different to prepare for, Brown said.
“(The kids) were sort of excited to see that style,” he said. “But we knew we could (stay) with a team that runs and guns.”
Olsen led the way with 14 points, five assists and four steals, followed by Atchison with 14 points and eight rebounds. Gaspervich added 13 points, six assists and nine steals, while M.E. Dodge and Alee Schahczinski added six and five rebounds, respectively.
