Tritons Get Coach Kirsch First Win
First year Triton Head Coach, Ryan Kirsch, knew his new look Tritons would come out and compete as they kicked off their 2024-25 season on Friday (11/1) at the McDonald's Classic in Sedalia, MO. They did just that as they got Coach Kirsch his first win in a 96-65 victory over Central Methodist JV. "Our season started off strong against Central. I was happy with our play, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Sophomore transfer guard, Lane Campbell was hard to stop, scoring 20 points on 7-15 from the field. Freshmen guard, Jalen Wynter also got going from the perimeter hitting 3-7 from three." commented Kirsch.
The season opening win was a complete team effort as the Tritons had six players score in double figures and assisted on 15 of 35 shots. On Saturday (11/2), the Tritons matched up with tournament host, DI State Fair Community College. After being down 23-30 at the half, the Tritons would close within two, but fell 62-51. Kirsch was happy with the Tritons effort, "We competed well against the Roadrunners, a DI junior college from Region 16, but started off to slowly offensively. Ultimately we were just not able to hit enough shots down the stretch."
Lane Campbell again led the way on Saturday with 15 points. Freshman Irakli Akhalaia and Jalen Wynter each added eight.
Up next for the Tritons is a trip to Kansas City for the Hall of Fame Classic and matchups with North Central Missouri (11/8) and Metropolitan (11/9) before returning to Hodges on November 13th for their home opener with Central-Columbus. Coach Kirsch is ready to get back on the floor, "We head back down to Missouri this weekend to take on Metro and top-10 DII North Central Missouri. We are excited for our next two opportunities and look to improve through another week of practice."
Along with Coach Kirsch, Mason Dehholm and Caleb Viers are also in their first year as Triton Assistant Coaches.