After several setbacks against Metro West and non-conference teams, Tuesday night’s win was just what the doctor ordered for the New Prague High School girls’ hoops team.
The Trojans topped Rochester Century Tuesday, Jan. 27, 90-62. The win was a big one for the Trojans not because it stopped a losing streak, but also because it was against a section opponent. NP took a 49-33 lead to intermission and outscored the Panthers, 41-29, in the second half. Details of the contest will be available in an upcoming print edition of The New Prague Times.
The Trojans are 7-11 overall, 0-5 in conference play and 1-1 against teams in Section 1AAAA.
New Prague will be back in action tonight, Thursday, Jan. 29, 7 p.m., hosting Chanhassen. Saturday, Jan. 31, 2 p.m., NP will host Owatonna in another game with section seeding implications. Monday, Feb. 2, 7 p.m., NP will host Waconia.
Woodbury 71, Trojans 63
A slow start hurt New Prague’s hopes of a non-conference win Saturday, Jan. 24, at NPHS.
Woodbury came out of the gate fast, building an early 12-1 lead. The Trojans rallied and eventually cut the Royals’ advantage to five points, 38-33, at intermission.
“For all but the first three minutes, we played OK,” NP coach Eric Specht said after the game. “Their athleticism kind of surprised us. When you’re down like that early, it’s tough to come back.”
The Trojans did most of their scoring from the outside, scoring only 12 points in the paint. The dearth of inside scoring resulted in six free-throw shots, of which NP made three. They scored 19 points off Woodbury turnovers. They made 25 of 67 shots, 15 of 30 from beyond the three-point line.
Maya Kilian paced NP with 24 points and a dozen rebounds in 49 minutes. Elle Neiderhiser added 17 points and four rebounds. Ashlee Nelson chipped in 12 points and three rebounds. Claire Meyer scored 12 points and Emily Giesen added three.
Benilde-St. Margaret’s 92, Trojans 65
Taking on one of the top-rated Class AAA teams Thursday, Jan. 22, the Trojans were unable to keep pace despite a strong effort. NP offered a better accounting for itself compared to an 80-27 loss to Orono Jan. 15.
“Overall, I thought our kids competed hard. We challenged the kids to compete harder after Orono,” NP coach Eric Specht said.
Benilde-St. Margaret’s built a 50-36 lead at intermission. The Red Knights outscored the Trojans by 12, 42-30, in the second half. The BSM defense forced 37 turnovers in the loss. The Trojans were 4 of 8 from three-point range and made just 20-43 two-pointers against the stingy Red Knights’ defense. NP made nine of 15 free throws.
Maya Kilian paced the Trojans with 19 points and 18 rebounds. Elle Neiderhiser added 15 points. Claire Meyer finished with eight points while Catherine Ambroz added seven points. Ashlee Nelson finished with four points. Mara Domek chipped in four points while Emily Giesen and Mallory Bastyr both scored three points. Olive Stoltz scored two points in the loss.