Up and down Trotters lose, win

The Jekyll and Hyde act continues with the Plains Trotters.

Coach Eddie Fultz and his Trotters were back to their up-and-down ways last week, playing some of their worst basketball of the season in a 57-31 loss to the Scarlets in Arlee Thursday and then coming back to play some of their best ball yet in a 55-41 win over Seeley-Swan in Seeley Lake Saturday.

The win over Seeley was not unexpected but Fultz went into that game with trepidation as guards Willow Sturdivant and Miera Loberg were both out sick.

“We came out firing in that game, felt like we were in control the whole game,” Fultz said. “And that was good to see being as we were short-handed going into it.”

Natalee Deschamps netted 17 points to lead the Trotters in Seeley, Rachel Huenink added 10 points and nine rebounds, Kassidy Kinzie scored 10 points, Haley Josephson eight and Kylee Altmiller six, with a team-high 10 rebounds.

Terra Bertsch led Seeley, a team battling for the top seed in the District 13C race, with 11 points.

Nothing seemed to go right early for the Trotters in Arlee as they fell behind 11-3 by the end of the first quarter and 29-14 by halftime. “We played miserably from the get-go in Arlee,” Fultz said. “We didn’t have our best game, that’s for sure.”

Kinzie scored 11 points to lead the Trotters, Altmiller added six, Sturdivant three, Josephson, Deschamps, Huenink and Loberg two apiece and Emma Morgan one.

One of the top players in Montana prep hoops this season in any class, the almost-automatic Alyssia Vanderburg scored 21 points to lead Arlee, Nellie Desjarlais added 12, Noelle West nine and Louetta Conko-Camel eight.

The Trotters have two 14C contests on tap this week, playing at Hot Springs Friday and hosting St. Regis Saturday.

“Hopefully we can build on the momentum of the Seeley-Swan game and take that forward with us these next few weeks,” Fultz said. “We need to be playing more consistent basketball heading into the tournament season.”