[Stardust]

http://glasgowdailytimes.com/sports/x471...face-rival

GLASGOW — The Barren County Trojanettes have been playing some inspired basketball lately. Coach John Butler and his troops have won eight of their last nine games and the last six in a row.

Butler hopes that hot streak continues next week when the Trojanettes open the Girls’ District 15 Basketball Tournament on Monday at Allen County-Scottsville High School. Barren County will play Glasgow at 6 p.m.

“Our spirit is as high as it can be. We’ve won six straight and we’re playing with a lot of confidence,” Butler said. “As far as our attitude and confidence, we feel pretty good about ourselves. We’re probably playing the best basketball of the year, but we know we have a tall task ahead of us with Glasgow.

“I think what’s happened is we’ve had a lot of people step up for us. Shelby Briggs is playing really well right now and Jamie Cummings has just had a super season. What’s made us better lately is we’re getting better and better contributions from more people.”

Butler said preparation for the district battle really isn’t too different than preparation for any game during the regular season. The two teams know each other pretty well.

“It comes down to fundamentally making plays. Both teams know the strengths and weaknesses of the other team,” Butler explained. “Then it comes down to players playing, handling the pressure, etc.

“In tournament time, you have to have your players step up, but you always have to have that one or two players step up beyond what they’ve done in the past. Sometimes, you’re going to beat a team no matter how poorly you play because you just have more talent. But playing a team like Glasgow means we have to have big time contributions from numerous players. They are a legitimate regional winner and we’re going to have to bring our ‘A’ game.”

Butler said he and his team aren’t feeling a lot of pressure because the Trojanettes are going into the tournament as the fourth seed.

“The pressure is different for us. When you are the No. 1 seed, there are expectations of not only getting out of the district, but also winning the region,” Butler said. “Every coach knows the toughest game to play for any team in any year, is the first game of the district tournament. If you lose you’re done and you can turn a good year into a great year or it can go the other direction.”

The girls’ district tournament is a little different than some other districts as all four teams have had good seasons. Every team has won at least 15 games on the year. That should make for good basketball.

“More important to me than momentum is confidence. I have had teams that lost their last two games of the regular season and go on to win the regional tournament,” said Butler. “I have had teams play well at the end of the year and roll through the tournament. I think it comes down to playing with confidence and making sure you’re ready to play in the moment. I believe big time players tend to play big in big games.”