Three Lady Trojans played the final home game of their career at FTCC against Wake Tech. Amarilis Floyd, Tyra Evans, and Genesis Bernard played for both of their eligible seasons for the Lady Trojans and have been leaders on a team that has struggled for consistency. Although the team, and these three in particular, fought hard, they came up short, 54-65.
Wake Tech made thirteen 3 pt shots with dozens of open looks at our game in Raleigh last month; a 67-81 FTCC loss. That was a key point that Coach Tucker stressed with the team. Because of the hard work in practice, Wake Tech was held to only three made on the night, with very few open looks through the whole game. The team committed to defending outside the arc and was able to rotate well, much of the night. The Eagles were able to get an early lead 11-5, just to have the Trojans pull it to 10-11 before a late basket gave Wake Take a 13-10 first quarter lead. The Trojans were missing a few open shots and were just 1-4 from the line.
Shooting continued to be an issue in the second quarter for the Trojans. Their defense continued to rotate well, but the bench is a bit shorter with Chania Troy, Daisy Moses, and Kennede Coleman unavailable for the game. The Eagles were able to get some scoring inside from Khadijah Daniels while the Trojans had a season low 5 pt. in the quarter. The lead expanded to 30-15 for the Eagles at the half.
Following a brief ceremony to recognize the three sophomores to end halftime, the team came back to life. Coach Tucker seems to be able to make adjustments during the half that often leads to a resurgence in the 3rd quarter. The Eagles opened an 18 pt lead before the Trojans made their moves. Dajah Horne and Floyd started hitting shots with one each from the outside. Bernard handled the point and ball movement responsibilities to break both free for shots. Evans was strong on the boards as the sophomores led the team. They pulled to a single digit deficit before a couple defensive lapses allowed the Eagles to close the quarter with a 49-35 lead.
The 4th quarter opened with aggressive drives to the basket by Bernard, who was 4-4 from the line and 6 pts. in the quarter. Horne did the same and was able to help push the ball hard up the court. Briana James and Briana Evans drove as well for a basket each. With just 57 seconds to play, the Trojans trailed by just 6 pts and had the ball coming down court. It seemed their hard work was paying off. With a missed shot, Floyd fouled out of the game on a hard rebound. Although this did not doom the team, her defense and shooting had helped the team to come back. Wake Tech made their free throws down the stretch and a late basket made the final, 65-54.
The Trojans played a complete game. With better free throw shooting in the first half and better shots in the second quarter, their late surge may have put them over the top. The sophomores played very well in their last home game and the fans enjoyed the show. Thanks for a fun two years!
FTCC 10 5 20 19 54
WTCC 13 17 19 16 65
FTCC Horne, 17, Floyd, 13, T. Evans, 7, Bernard, 6, James, 5, Inman, 1, B. Evans, 5
3 Pt Horne, 1, Floyd, 2
Fouls 23, Horne, 2, Floyd, 5, T. Evans, 1, Bernard, 3, James, 3, Inman, 4, Gacutan, 3, B. Evans, 2
WTCC Carroll, 11, Smith, 1, Daniels, 26, Watkins, 2, Glessner, 2, Grant, 23
3 Pt Carroll, 2, Daniels, 1
Fouls 14, Smith, 1, Daniels, 3, Watkins, 4, Glessner, 1, Bischoff, 3, Grant, 3