Trinity lost to 14th ranked J-town on Monday night 59-49 in the first round of Shirley’s Way Louisville Invitational Tournament (LIT). Played at Valley Traditional High School, the Rocks controlled the first half, leading 34-29 at halftime, but quickly fell behind in the second half, leading to their defeat.  

The Rocks record stands at 5-7 following their defeat against the J-town Chargers on Monday. This is the only time Trinity has lost in the first round of the LIT in the 2020s. The game looked eerily similar to the previous games this season as Trinity got off to a hot start but could not hold on. 

Trinity controlled the entire first half handily with the closest margin being two points at halftime with a score of 41-39. The script quickly flipped in the second half with the Chargers taking over, outscoring Trinity 20 to 8. “In the second half, and credit to J-Town for upping their pressure and intensity in the half court defensively, we weren’t as crisp on offense in terms of our execution and, therefore, we allowed them to climb back into the game because we couldn’t score,” said Trinity Coach Bret Saxton following the game. 

Junior guard, Garrison Gilvin, led the Rocks in scoring with 17 points, 12 of those coming in the first half. He was topped only by J-town senior Dayvonne Harrison, who finished with 22 points. Gilvin has been the leader of the Rocks offense so far this season, averaging 16.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. 

The Rocks have an entire week off to prepare for the second half of the season as they do not play again until Monday, Jan. 19. They will take on Christian Academy of Louisville (CAL) in Steinhauser Gym at 7:30pm. “Nobody in the state has played a more competitive schedule from top to bottom, and our guys should feel confident because of their battle scars. We haven’t knocked that door down yet but we’re constantly knocking on it, and we should feel excited about the opportunities we have down the stretch to get over the hump, and CAL is no different,” Saxton continued when asked about the team’s attitude for the second half of the season. CAL is currently 9-4 and ranked 20th in the state of Kentucky, according to Kentucky Sports Radio.