Troy Athens High School

The LadyRedhawks renewed their rivalry versus a much-improved Troy team and traded punches for a well-played first quarter that ended with Troy taking a 7 – 5 lead. The depth of the Athens’ line up, along with some timely inside and outside offensive play, saw the Redhawks take the lead with a 9 -0 second quarter run, then pull away with a 16 – 0 burst in the third. The final score was 44 – 9. Bree Rota explained the momentum of the game, “I think we started out a little slow. We usually start uh, (searches for the word and laughs) quickish in most of our games. We might have been in our heads a little bit because of the rivalry. Our defense is always a constant.” Noelle Apahidean agreed, “Usually we get more shots in but at the same time we usually get better in the second half, which is what happened today.” Dita Thaqi added that their fan base got them going, “Our little corner of fans helped motivate us a bit.” With the season winding down, the three players reflected on what they’ll remember most. Bree: “The friendships that I have made and the bond with my teammates – and getting better as a team.” Noelle: “I’ve made a lot of friends I didn’t know before, especially the girls coming from Baker, and I feel like my knowledge of basketball has increased.” Dita: “How to work really hard and just play as a team. I’ve also made a lot of friendships that I will cherish forever. The season’s not over yet, though; we want to finish strong.” Athens was led by Sophia Alexander with 14 points, Arianna Saracevic had 13, Bree had 8, Carmen had 5, Mallory Colussi 2, and Emily Cousino and Gia Leong 1 each.