UPLAND, Ind. - The Taylor Trojans had won their previous three games by a combined 141 points. That changed when Goshen stepped on their court on Tuesday night.
And literally from the moment they stepped on the court, as Goshen was in control the entire way. Leading for all but 33 seconds of the match, the Maple Leafs crushed the red hot Trojans, 70-54.
"We really guarded tonight, and that was all the difference," said head coach Stephanie Miller.
Taylor was ranked tied for second in the preseason Crossroads League coaches poll, and Goshen was in the seventh spot. The Trojans also were undefeated at home this season in addition to their three-game winning streak. Goshen was bound to strike eventually, as their four recent losses were only by a combined 25 points. The Maple Leafs get their first road win and conference win of the season.
The game's story can best be summed up by rebounds, offensive rebounds, and second-chance points. Goshen had 21 more rebounds than their opponent (44-23) and won the offensive rebound category 17-5. That led to 18-second chance points for Goshen, and Taylor had just two.
Goshen (4,5 1-1 CL) led by 13 at halftime, and a three-pointer by Sa'drea Rougeau to start the third quarter brought the lead to 16. However, Taylor (5-5, 1-1 CL) rallied with a 10-0 run to cut the lead to six. "We knew that Taylor would make a run at us," said Miller. "They threw a press and a zone look at us, and we took a little too long to adjust."
The Maple Leafs lead stayed at six until the fourth quarter began. Then, GC went on an 11-0 run to lead by 17, and they maintained a healthy margin until winning 70-54. Miller went on to say that there were three reasons why the team was able to close out this challenging road game. First, they defended and rebounded with purpose. Then, they took care of the ball reasonably well. Lastly, Goshen hit free throws – especially in the fourth quarter when they needed them most.
Ta'Niece Chapman scored 16 for Goshen and brought down eight rebounds. Kyla Foster had her second straight double-digit scoring game with 14 points, six rebounds, and two steals. Five other Leafs players scored at least six points.
"We have needed to win a big game to help build confidence in ourselves – and this one is a good start for us," Miller shared. "I'm confident in the team that we can use this as a stepping stone for where we are headed, not where we have come from."
The Leafs will enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday before facing Indiana Wesleyan on the road on Wednesday, December 1 at 7:00 pm. The next home game is on Saturday, December 4, at 1:00 pm against Spring Arbor. The men will play afterward at 3:00 pm.
