Making their return to the 3rd Region Tournament for the first time since 2022, Trinity (Whitesville) struggled to limit Hayden Shouse on the inside, falling to Meade County 62-48. The big man made life rough for the Raiders in the first half, scoring 10 of his 14 points, while proving a size mismatch on the defensive end.
“I think we played well in spurts,” Trinity (Whitesville) Head Coach Nathan West said. “We had kind of a gameplan of its own. We were worried about the rebounding. That was one of my keys there, and it was probably the most important key.”
Meade County took a 18-12 lead in the second quarter, behind Ayden Medley hitting a pair of threes, and Jentzen Hayes and Shouse combining for eight points. Harrison Barnett and Cale Boarman led the Raiders first quarter charge, scoring all 12 of their points.
The Raiders were held to seven second-quarter points and entered halftime trailing 35-19. After trailing by 20 in the second half, Trinity cut the lead to 10, but were unable to get within single digits.
Scoring only one point in the opening half, Ian Roby caught fire for the Raiders in the second half, hitting three threes, while Boarman and Grant Howard combined for 15 points down the stretch.
Yet, the Green Waves’ Caleb Greene, Medley, and Hayes combined for 20 of the team’s 27 second half points.
Boarman led the Raiders in scoring with 14 points, Roby and Barnett added 10 points each, and Howard finished with nine points.
For Meade County, Medley led all scorers with 20 points, Shouse added 15 points, and Hayes finished with 12 points.
Despite the loss, this was a successful season for the Raiders, who finished 17-15 on the year – a massive improvement from 7-22 the year before.
“It was a great season. We almost tripled our win total,” West said. “So, a lot of highs, and we played some tough teams that we played close. It’s one of those things that we are glad to be back here. I told them it’s not guaranteed, but we don’t lose anybody either.”
