The Sturgis girls basketball team stayed within striking distance of Coldwater all night on Friday, but the Cardinals had enough fuel in the tank to punch the gas and hold on to the 45-38 victory.
Nikki Nelson led the Trojans in scoring with 16 points and yanked down nine boards in the losing effort. Marissa Parker turned in 12 points, a line on the state sheet that head coach Amie Burger said is indicative of her leadership ability.
“The girls fought hard for four quarters tonight,” Burger said. “I am proud of the way the team played together. I believe the girls are starting to understand their roles, which is going to be huge for us down the stretch.
“Parker did a great job again tonight giving us that leadership on the court.”
Rachel Anderson chipped in with nine points for Sturgis, too.
The Trojans headed into the final quarter of play against their SMAC East opponent trailing 34-30. However, anyone with the last name Galloway seemed to be a problem for Sturgis Friday as Coldwater’s Kendall and Mackenzie Galloway each scored 14 points.
Kendall Galloway poured in 15 points in the teams’ earlier meeting a month ago where Coldwater also prevailed.