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North Crawford girls basketball looks to get back on track
Lady Trojans basketball

NORTH CRAWFORD - The North Crawford girls basketball team faced two conference opponents last week, beginning with LaFarge on Tuesday Jan. 5, before traveling to battle Weston on Friday Jan. 8. Although a solid effort was shown in both contests, neither outcome would result in a victory, as the young Trojans dropped their fifth straight conference game after starting the season with a 2-2 record. 

Against the aggressive Wildcats, North Crawford did a nice job of handling the full-court pressure, putting up a fight until midway through the second half, when the experience of LaFarge quickly closed the door with a 57-29 final. 

In their rematch with Weston (the Trojans won the opening game against the Silver Eagles), the evening provided a variety of action with multiple lead changes. Though not known for their deep threat ability, the hosting Silver Eagles caught enough friendly bounces from beyond the arc to secure a 55-41 victory in front of a raucous Senior Night crowd. 

"We worked hard," said head coach Michael DiPadova after the loss. "We showed a lot of quickness and kept their star player in check. Those were our main goals coming in, but sometimes the other team finds production in unexpected ways... that's basketball. There's a lot of season left - we'll regroup and keep fighting." 

This recent slate of games continued to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of this year's squad. With a lack of true shooting guards, most of the dominant scoring continues to happen inside the paint, where freshman Elizabeth Stovey and senior Kloee Chamberlain have put up big numbers, averaging above or near a ‘double-double’ for each of them. 

Leading the team in assists and fast break points - including a game-high 16 points against Weston - senior point guard Angie Herfel has really begun to showcase her playmaking ability, often willing the Trojans back into close games. 

The supporting cast of Sarah Hanson, Miranda Olson, Sarah Bransky and Faye Brassington are frequently in rotation and continue to find ways to contribute and strengthen the team, which currently looks to be the most-improved program in the conference.