Taylor Falls to No. 20 Huntington Despite Late Rally

HUNTINGTON, Ind. – RV Taylor women's basketball nearly erased a double-digit deficit in the final minutes but fell to No. 20 Huntington 70-67 on Friday evening at Platt Arena. The Trojans dropped to 14-3 overall and 4-3 in Crossroads League play with their third consecutive loss to a ranked opponent.

Kaycie Warfel led TU with 15 points despite overcoming early foul trouble and struggling to find her rhythm through the first three quarters. Celina Blount added 11 points and 10 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season, while Emma Ancelet chipped in 10 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Emma Fohl contributed nine points, including two crucial third-quarter three-pointers. Madi Allen produced nine points and grabbed 10 boards.

Huntington (13-4, 5-2 CL) jumped ahead early with a 10-0 run to build a 14-4 advantage, reaching the bonus before the six-minute mark as TU battled foul trouble. The Foresters converted 8 of 10 free throws in the period before the Trojans responded with an 11-0 run. Emma Ancelet capped the surge with a pull-up jumper to pull TU within 17-15, and the defense held Huntington scoreless over the final 3:30 of the frame.

Quinn Kelly opened the second quarter with a jumper to tie the score at 17-17, completing the 11-0 run. Madi Allen's second-chance jumper knotted the score again at 19-19, but Huntington answered with a 12-0 run. Back-to-back three-pointers forced a TU timeout with the Foresters ahead 29-19. Sietsema's layup cut the halftime deficit to 36-26.

Fohl drilled a three-pointer two minutes into the third quarter to slice the deficit to 36-31, but Huntington responded each time TU threatened. After Fohl connected again to make it 41-36, the Foresters pushed the lead back to 50-38. Warfel knocked down her first three-pointer to stop the run and make it 52-43, but Huntington carried a 57-47 advantage into the final period.

TU, which never led in the contest, mounted a furious fourth-quarter rally. Warfel's reverse layup trimmed the deficit to 57-49, and Blount converted a jumper and two free throws to cut it to 59-53. Marissa Trout's free throws made it 59-55, TU's closest margin since midway through the second quarter.

The Trojans refused to fold as Allen's putback made it 68-60 near the two-minute mark. Warfel connected on a layup to cut it to 69-65, and Ancelet's jumper with 41 seconds left made it 70-67. TU held Huntington without a field goal over the final 3:40 and got one final chance when the Foresters missed two free throws with 19 seconds remaining. The Trojans generated open looks in the closing seconds but missed two open three-pointers and turned the ball over on the final possession.

Kyndra Sheets led five Huntington players in double digits with 18 points as the Foresters improved to 9-0 at home. Addie Shank posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards.

Both teams shot below 40 percent overall from the field, with Huntington knocking down 40.9 percent (9-22) from three-point range. The Trojans held the rebounding advantage 47-37 and outscored the Foresters 40-28 on points in the paint.

TU wraps up its road trip Wednesday at Spring Arbor (15-2, 6-1 CL) with tipoff scheduled for 5 p.m.