Cedarville Ends Losing Streak with a Win over Trevecca

By Grace Mowery

The Cedarville women’s basketball team beat the Trevecca Trojans 76-70 on Saturday. The Jackets came into the game off two double-digit losses, one to Findlay and the other to Kentucky Wesleyan. They looked to rebound by playing a strong game and freshman Taylor Strock led the scoring with twenty points and nine rebounds. Her clutch play down the stretch helped seal the victory for the Jackets.

Junior Paige Garr opened the game with a three-point shot, and Cedarville built on the lead with two more three-pointers from senior point guard Emily Chapman. The Lady Jackets’ defense complimented the offensive pressure, especially in the paint.

Cedarville’s offensive attack started to wane as the quarter went on, and their missed shots allowed Trevecca to pull within seven points. Senior Allison Mader’s three-pointer closed the quarter with Cedarville leading 33-22. The Jackets’ 75% three-point shooting and 61% in the field reflected their dominant offensive play in the quarter.

“We’ve struggled a little bit scoring lately, and it was just good to see our girls come out and get hot,” Coach Jason Smith said.

In the second quarter, Cedarville couldn’t keep offensive momentum. Chapman and Garr both ended the half with twelve points each, but the Jackets shot 0-4 on three-pointers. They held a 47-37 lead going into the break.

The Jackets opened the third quarter slowly, only scoring four points in the first four minutes. The three-point drought continued until freshman Taylor Strock’s shot at the four-minute mark. Cedarville’s shooting struggles allowed the Trojans to tighten the lead to single digits, leaving the score 60-52 with two minutes left in the quarter.

Garr was impressed by Strock’s play down the stretch.

“I honestly think she’s our spark off the bench,” said Garr

The Trojans fought back and came within seven as the Jackets’ misses piled up. With two and half minutes left in the game, Trevecca tightened the lead to two.

Coming out of a timeout, Taylor Strock drove to the basket for a layup, extending the Jackets’ lead to four with less than a minute left in the quarter. Strock gathered another rebound with ten seconds left on the clock. On the inbound from Moore, the Trojans fouled Strock, and she drained both her free throws.

Coach Smith also pointed to Strock as a game-changer, “[Twenty points is a] career-high for her as a freshman. So that was huge. She hit some big-time free throws [and] had layups late in the game.”

“In a close game, Garr was still happy with their performance.

“A win is a win in the G-MAC,” Garr said.

The Lady Jackets are looking towards their next G-MAC game against Walsh on February 7. Tip-off is at 5:30 p.m. in the Callan Athletic Center.