Trojan Boys are WKLL League Champions!

It was a busy week of basketball as Logan-Palco played in the WKLL League tournament. On the girls side, the #7 seeded Lady Trojans played the #2 seeded Wheatland-Grinnell Thunderhawks on Tuesday, Feb. 4 in Grainfield. Down two of their starters for the evening, the Trojans struggled to get the ball rolling in the first half and found themselves down 31-9 at half. They came back stronger and with more confidence in the second half, scoring more points and holding the Thunderhawks to 21 points, but they couldn't close the gap. In the 25-52 loss, junior Lylah Voss was able to score 10 points against the Thunderhawk's standout post, Aliviah Ball. Voss nabbed 5 rebounds while Jayla Traxler and Kendra Alexander each grabbed 4.

The #1 seeded Trojan boys beat #8 seeded Triplains-Brewster 87-25. Three Trojans scored in double digits as Rhett Kats put up 28, Case Ashmore 19 and Ethan Gaschler 13. Sophomore Buster States added 9 points and 7 rebounds.

Friday Night's action put the Lady Trojans up against Northern Valley for the second time in two weeks. In their first match-up, the Trojans were able to hold on to a 39-37 win after a Husky comeback in the 4th quarter. This time the Huskies made some changes on their end and were able to take home the win 43-51. Senior Hailey McClurg scored 15 points with 5 assists. Alexander and Voss each scored 7 points and 5 rebounds. Sophomore Emma Traxler and freshman Hope Couse each grabbed 4 boards.

The boys played Wheatland-Grinnell for the third time this season, winning by 35 and 48 points respectively in their first two contests. Coach Will Bixenman of the Thunderhawks schemed a new game plan as they took 2 minutes off the clock with each possession as they passed the ball around the outside. While this took the Trojans out of their normal game, they showed great patience defensively and took the ball to the hole when they could. In the 4th quarter, the Trojans were finally able to pull away with the win 50-27. Senior Ethan Gaschler controlled the paint and scored 16 points. Kats added 16 and Ashmore 9. Senior Kaden Graham found his teammates for 4 assists.

Playing for 7th place on Saturday, the Lady Trojans beat Triplains-Brewster at the Max Jones facility in Goodland 45-34. Sophomore Graci Bliss was on fire as she put a season high of 17 points with a 70% shooting average. McClurg followed with 11. Voss pulled down 8 rebounds and freshman Jayla Traxler tallied 7. Junior Trinity Couse grabbed 7 steals for the Lady Trojans.

The boys headed to the championship game against Weskan. Both ranked in the top 5 teams in the state in Division II, the Trojans squeaked by the Coyotes with a 6-point win earlier in the season. While the Coyotes are known for their high-powered offense, the Trojans shut them down in the first quarter, only allowing 9 points. Offensively, the Trojans exploded from the field putting up 23 points including a nice 3-pointer at the end of the half by Ryan Prewo. A long-range 3 from Kats at the end of the half carried the Trojans into halftime 43-21. The Coyotes rallied in the second half, but couldn't overcome the deficit. The Logan-Palco Trojans took home the 70-47 win, along with the first ever WKLL League Tournament Championship title! Kats scored a near career-high of 37 points as Prewo added 3 beyond the arc for 9 points and Gaschler scored 8. The team tallied 9 steals and 3 blocked shots for their defensive stats.

The Trojans will travel to Plainville on Tuesday and Brewster on Friday.