Triad opened its 2021-22 girls basketball season on a sour note on Friday.
The Lady Cardinals fell to the visiting Elgin Lady Comets, 55-14.
“I was very pleased with my team’s hustle, effort and grit,” Triad head coach Erica Trainer said. “We played hard. They are giving me what they can.
“We need to do better at taking care of the ball from a ball handling standpoint,” the coach said. “And we just need to have better court awareness.
“Give credit to Elgin, their press gave us some fits.”
Pressure came almost immediately from the Lady Comets with the visitors taking a 14-2 lead in the first quarter.
Triad’s only field goal came from freshman Mia LeMay.
The Lady Cardinals’ defense continued to struggle in the second quarter .
That allowed Elgin to climb to a 26-6 lead at halftime.
The home team’s two field goals were credited to freshmen Abbey Overfield and Ashlyn McCoy.
The Lady Cardinals were able to secure an additional seven points in the third quarter.
Elgin, however, tallied 14 and took a 40-13 margin into the fourth period.
Triad junior Madison Cox landed two shots from beyond the arc in the third quarter.
The Lady Cardinals stayed behind as the Lady Comets scored another 17 points compared to Triad’s one for the final score.
Cox notched with six points, thanks to a pair of three-pointers.
LeMay recorded nine rebounds, while McCoy and Kaley Nott combined for 15.
“I have freshmen (eight on the 15-player roster) who are being aggressive and not afraid to take chances,” Trainer said. “My returners are consistent for me on defense and in the right spots.
“We need to get everyone else to gel together a bit better.
“We need to work on ball handling for sure and being strong with the ball,” she said. “We know where we want to go and what we want to do, but we are not executing well.
“It will come in time,” she said. “We are extremely young.”