A strong second quarter propelled Trinity Lutheran’s girls basketball team to a 57-37 victory over Rising Sun on Tuesday night.

After a sluggish, back-and-forth first quarter saw Rising Sun emerge with a one-point lead, the Cougars scored the second period’s first nine points to create separation on the scoreboard.

Trinity (10-8) went on to outscore Rising Sun 16-4 during the quarter. The Shiners (7-10) cut the lead to nine late in the third quarter but never seriously threatened the Cougars’ control of the game.

“We got back to playing our basketball there in the second quarter,” Trinity head coach Darrin Keith said. “Defensively, we picked it up, and we started taking the ball to the basket. I was telling our team that (Rising Sun) can’t stop us from going to the hole.”

Indeed, following a 3-pointer by Jordan Brewer to start the second quarter, Trinity scored its next 25 points on layups, putbacks or foul shots resulting from drives to the basket.

“We work on that a lot in practice,” Keith said. “We haven’t been as good a 3-point shooting team as I thought we would be. On the other hand, we can put five players on the court who can take the ball to the basket and either get fouled or make a play. Sometimes, we just want to shoot 3-pointers. That’s the cool thing to do.”

Three Trinity players finished in double figures, led by freshman Marley Warren’s 17 points. Jordan Brewer followed with 16, while Liza Froedge ended with 10 points after battling foul trouble most of the night.

Rising Sun was led by Alyssa Simpson’s 20 points and 11 rebounds, both game highs.

Tuesday’s victory gives Trinity back-to-back wins with a chance at three in a row for the first time this season. Getting that third straight win won’t be easy with Floyd Central (12-8) coming to town on Thursday.

“I say it all of the time, we’re like Jekyll and Hyde,” Keith said. “We play three minutes really well, then the next two minutes really bad. Until you can put consistent quarters together, you’re not going to beat good teams. We play a really good schedule. With Floyd Central coming in, you can’t play half a game against a team like that. You’ve got to play a full game. It takes our best effort to win.”

Keith said he’s optimistic about his team as it approaches its final four games before the tournament starts.

“I think we’re peaking at the right time,” he said. “We still make mistakes, but our practices in the last two weeks have gotten better. Our intensity is a lot better. We’re moving in the right direction.”

Tuesday night was Senior Night for Trinity’s Froedge, Morgan Brewer and Dianna Munoz. In addition to Froedge’s 10 points, Brewer scored three points and Munoz scored the game’s first bucket to finish with two points.

Keith said his seniors’ contributions go far beyond their statistics.

“They mean so much more to us than what you see on the court,” Keith said. “Some of them are more vocal than others, but they all set a good example by doing things right. Their enthusiasm and effort, their willingness to learn trickle down to our younger kids. That’s what you look for in seniors. They play hard all of the time, and they’re great teammates.”

Trinity Lutheran 57, Rising Sun 37

Rising Sun;12;4;12;9;—;37

Trinity Lutheran;11;16;12;18;—;57

Rising Sun (7-10): Alyssa Simpson 7 6-7 20, Jenna Peelman 4 3-3 11, Jaylen Peelman 2 0-0 4, Carrigan Friend 1 0-2 2, Nora Powell 0 0-0 0, Tamryn Miller 0 0-0 0, Kenna Carrigon 0 0-0 0, Addison Ackman 0 0-0 0, Totals 14 9-12 37.

Trinity Lutheran (10-8): Marley Warren 8 0-0 17, Jordan Brewer 5 4-6 16, Liza Froedge 3 3-6 10, Bailey Bonde 2 1-2 5, Laura Roeder 2 0-0 4, Morgan Brewer 1 1-3 3, Dianna Munoz 1 0-0 2, Zoey Dulaney 0 0-0 0, Emerson Warren 0 0-0 0, DeAnna Rothert 0 0-0 0, Maddie Adams 0 0-0 0, Totals 22 9-17 57.

3-point goals: Trinity Lutheran 4 (J. Brewer 2, Froedge, M. Warren)

Rebounds: Rising Sun 32 (Simpson 11), Trinity Lutheran 30 (Bonde 7, J. Brewer 6, M. Brewer 3, Roeder 3, M. Warren 2, Dulaney 2, Froedge 2, Munoz, E. Warren, Rothert, Team 2)

Turnovers: Rising Sun 24, Trinity Lutheran 16

Fouls: Rising Sun 16, Trinity Lutheran 18

Junior varsity

Trinity Lutheran 33, Rising Sun 8

Trinity Lutheran: Emerson Warren 9, Bailey Bonde 6, DeAnna Rothert 6, Maddie Adams 4, Zoey Dulaney 3, Zoe Croquart 3, Blayklee Hancock 2