Trimble fights back to claim 75-54 win over Carroll

The Raiders entered the second quarter trailing by 10 points (20-10) thanks to a long-range shooting blitz by Carroll that saw the Panthers hit four 3-pointers in the first eight minutes as Trimble tried to weather the storm.

Predictably, it was Wilcoxson who pulled the Raiders from the fire. The 6-foot-5 forward attacked the basket and recorded a pair of 3-point plays to quickly cut into the Carroll lead and then, after the two teams traded baskets, Wilcoxson drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key to tie the game 25-25.

The basket pushed Wilcoxson over the career 1,000-point mark and allowed him to join his mother Jessica (1,255 points) and older sister Shelby (1,623) among the 1,000-point scorers at the school. But it also came in the midst of a 13-3 rally that allowed the Raiders to take the lead and never look back.

"I was trying not to think about it too much before the game because my teammates kept coming up to me to talk about it," Wilcoxson said with a smile. "I was like, 'I can't think about it. We'll see what happens.' I wasn't thinking about it and then I heard that buzzer go off (to stop the game) and I was like 'Oh, I guess I scored it' so it feels good. It feels good."

With Wilcoxson's milestone out the way, the Raiders went to work. They only led 29-28 at halftime but opened the third quarter with a 16-6 run to forge an 11-point lead. Trimble then erupted for 28 points in the fourth quarter to blow the game open.

Wilcoxson was at the heart of it all. Along with scoring 29 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the floor and 12-of-13 from the free-throw line, he also pulled down eight rebounds and drove the Trimble engine all night long.

"James Thomas has been nothing but great. He's been a leader for us. When he practices with the younger kids, he picks them up. I could not ask for a better leader for his team," Trimble coach Brent Welty said. "I named him Captain right from the get-go and he's taking the role and he's gone the distance with it and done wonderful. He is the heartbeat of our team."

“In order for us to be successful we have to hit the three point shot,” said Carroll head coach Roger Harden.

Carroll was 9 for 38 from the three point line for 23.7 percent, 28.8 percent for all field goals in the game and just 46.7 percent from the free throw line.

Harden said he did see some positives in the game, such as they didn’t give up or hang their heads.

“Our foul trouble gave them some momentum shifts to Trimble as we had to shift personnel around.” he said.

Ethan Horn had 18 points and five rebounds while Brayden Wilson scored 15 points on three 3-pointers for the Raiders. In all, eight different players scored for Trimble and all 15 in uniform saw action in the game.

Carroll County came out on fire and although the Panthers finished with nine 3-pointers, they cooled considerably in the second half. Mitchell Lacefield hit three 3-pointers and scored 19 points to lead the Panthers while Austin Hicks and Landon Groves scored eight each.

The win was the 31st District opener for both teams. Trimble, now 3-2 overall, travels to Eminence on Tuesday for another district contest and hosts Gallatin County on Friday for yet another district affair.

Carroll County, now 1-6 overall, lost to Williamstown on Monday, 62-55 as part of a boys-girls doubleheader. The Panthers lost to Henry County on Tuesday, 50-45, in a district contest and head to Owen County on Friday for another district game.