SPORTS

Trenton Returns Everyone, Looks To Build Off Last Season

“Sprinting leads to scoring.”

Trenton High School girls basketball coach Kameron Cool has been preaching this message every day during the team’s open gym sessions this summer.

And for good reason.

One of the team’s big goals for this offseason is to find offense after the team averaged just 30.5 points per game last season. Trenton struggled to score on several occasions, running a record of 7-16 overall.

“We have just got to continually add to our game and find ways to put the ball in the hole,” Cool said. “The biggest thing for us is just learning to be more creative and find ways to finish. We just need to get better every day and try to make shots.”

There is plenty of reason to be optimistic about the future of the program, however. Trenton returns every single player from last season’s team and will add a handful of talented freshmen to the mix. Despite the scoring issues that plagued the Bulldogs a year ago, Trenton’s defense was pretty solid, holding opponents to under 40 points per game. There were 17 players in the gym on Wednesday, too, meaning Trenton should have solid numbers this season.

It all adds up and that’s enough for Trenton to build on. Cool is using these summer sessions to do just that.

“I think last year was a learning experience for everybody,” Cool said. “This year we just really need to focus on kind of taking it to the next level and making sure we can be competitive every night.”

So Trenton sprints because it leads to scoring. The Bulldogs are hoisting up a lot of free throws because those points are valuable — especially for a team that was involved in 10 games determined by 10 points or less. Everything works toward improving one step at a time.

The Bulldogs’ summer sessions are being held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the morning. Trenton will also have a handful of camps and shootouts this summer as well as preparations for the 2021-2022 season continue.

“We always say summer is for skill development,” Cool said. “Just get better every day, add to our game and find a way to get one percent better.”

R-T Photo/Seth Herrold

GRACYN RONGEY shoots a free throw during open gym on Wednesday. Trenton players shot a lot of free throws as coach Kameron Cool put a premium on finding points this offseason.

R-T Photo/Seth Herrold

CLAIRE WOODARD throws a pitch during Wholesale Home’s 5th and 6th grade softball game at Bethany’s Babe Adams Field on Wednesday night. The 5th and 6th grade league tournament will be held in Princeton the week of June 14.

SPORTS BRIEFS Mudcats Game Set For Wednesday In Trenton

On Wednesday, the Chillicothe Mudcats will host a game at Burleigh Grimes Field in Trenton, doing so for the eighth season in a row.

Chillicothe will play host to the Sedalia Bombers in a MINK League showdown with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Admission to the game will be $5 for adults, $3 for school-age children and $1 for senior citizens. Children younger than school age are admitted free, but must be accompanied into the stadium by a paying adult or child.

The Mudcats dropped their first game in Trenton in 2013, but have not lost on Burleigh Grimes Field since, winning seven straight, including a sweep of a doubleheader in 2014.

Current North Central Missouri College assistant coach Tyler Hudlow is the head coach for the Mudcats. This year’s Mudcats’ team also includes recent Pirate players, Braedyn Brewer, Tanner Sears and Koby Linder. Former Pirate Tristen Sewell, now with Missouri Valley College, is also on the Mudcats’ roster

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