Trinity International drops second game of LaQuinta Classic to Waldorf
Greg Gorham
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DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Junior Nate Ball finished with his first double-double of the early season, with a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds, but the Trinity International Trojans were unable to come back from a 22-point hole at the half, as the Waldorf Warriors earn a 99-88 win Saturday night inside the Meyer Sports Complex.
Four Trojans finished in double figures, including sophomore Sam Salem, who had 18 points, Justin Peeples with 16, and Thomas Amrine with 12. Peeples did most of his work from the free throw line, going a perfect 9-for-9 on the night.
The Trojans (1-1) opened the game with a six-point lead, with layups from Ball and Andy Stauffer. Waldorf answered with a 19-3 run over the next six minutes, claiming a 10-point advantage at the 12:52 mark of the first half with a layup from WC's Jordan Nelson. TIU climbed back to within five points, with Peeple's layup and a Warrior foul with 7:29 until the half. The Chicago native completed the three-point play, making it a 25-20 Waldorf lead.
Waldorf (1-1) would close out the half on another big run, outscoring TIU 14-3 over the final three and a half minutes. The Trojans went into the locker room trailing 54-32, due in part to Waldorf's red-hot 69.7% (23-of-33) shooting performance in the first half. Peeples, Salem, and Amrine each led Trinity with seven points at the break.
TIU trimmed the Warrior lead down to 16 at the 16:18 minute mark of the second half, on one of James Glass' two three-pointers on the night. Glass finished with seven points as he battled foul trouble throughout the night. Waldorf then stretched its lead out a bit utnil Amrine hit a trey of his own, making it a 64-49 game and a 15-point edge for the Warriors with just under 15 minutes to play.
That would be as close as the Trojans would get until late in the game, however, as WC scored eight straight points, including back-to-back three-pointers from Tyler Parrish, to push the Warriors lead back up to 23, at 72-49. Waldorf would nurse a 20-point lead until the final three minutes of the game, where the Trojans closed on a 13-2 run, but ran out of time to complete the comeback. A pair of free throws from Peeples would close out the scoring with 12 seconds remaining, as WC took the 99-88 decision.
The Trojans will now head out on what is easily their longest road trip of the season. TIU will play their next ten games on the road, with their next home date on the schedule not coming until December 7. Next week, TIU continues the early 2013-14 campaign with a trip to Circleville, Ohio, where they will compete in the Ohio Christian University Tourney, on November 7-9. Their next matchup is against Reinhardt (Ga.) on Thursday, November 7, at 3:00 p.m.
