Freshman Cassidy Morris scored 33 points to lead the Trinity girls’ basketball team to a 56-53 victory over Grayson County on Friday night. More impressive than helping get the win, though, was that Morris eclipsed 1,000 career points with a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 2:39 still to go in the first quarter.
Grayson County (10-11) went in front early and lead the Lady Raiders (7-10) 13-12 after the first quarter, but Trinity managed to pull ahead by four points at halftime.
Coming out of the break, the Lady Raiders and the Lady Cougars battled hard in a closely contested matchup. With just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter, Grayson County cut the Trinity lead to just one point at 34-33.
Over the next five minutes, the Lady Raiders scored 14 unanswered points with scoring from Morgan Kinsey, Morris and Josie Aull to reach their largest lead of the night at 48-33.
Trinity had to survive a late scoring surge from the Lady Cougars, however, and with 22 seconds to play the lead dwindled to one point. Following an old-fashioned 3-point play by Grayson County’s Rachel Snyder, two Morris free throws on the ensuing possession made the final score 56-53. Grayson County missed two open 3-point tries before the buzzer.
Trinity head coach John Cummings was proud of the work ethic of his team. Cummings was quick to note that his seven girls, though small in numbers, gave full effort in practice and in the closely fought game.
“I’m so proud of the effort our girls gave tonight,” Cummings said. “We’re a young team and we’ve played some good basketball lately, but we haven’t been able to put together four quarters. Tonight, the girls didn’t let past struggles bother them, and we were able to convert some on some big shots. It was a big win for us and it all started with the way we practiced this week.”
Cummings also praised the abilities of Morris, already in her third varsity season despite being a freshman. As a three-sport varsity athlete, she has not yet chosen to commit her future to a single sport.
“Cassidy has really upped her work ethic in practice, which is something we’ve challenged her with this year,” Cummings said. “She is a great player and a great kid. She loves basketball, but she also excels in volleyball and softball. The sky is the limit for her and I can’t wait to see what athletic path she chooses as she continues to lead our team in the years to come.”
Up next: Trinity vs. Muhlenberg County, 1:30 p.m. Saturday
Scoring
Trinity: Cassidy Morris 33, Josie Aull 9, Nina Wathen 8, Morgan Kinsey 6
