FRUITPORT – With two important players, juniors Izzy Hanson-Wilbur and Lily Johnson, returning to the court from injuries, the Fruitport girls basketball team hoped to snap its two game losing streak in a home game on Friday night.

But early offensive struggles held the Trojans well short of their 39.7 points per game scoring average and they fell 41-25 to NorthPointe Christian in an O-K Silver conference matchup.

It took the Trojans 10 minutes to put their first points on the scoreboard, and they finished the first half with seven total points.

Hanson-Wilbur led the team with 10 points, along with seniors Kendall Lee and Cierra Fri, who added six and four points, respectively.

Johnson, playing with an ankle brace after being injured on Tuesday, was limited to one point.

Fruitport is now 6-10 overall on the season and 4-7 in conference play.

“It’s good to have them back,” said Fruitport head coach Brian Packard said about the injured players. “When Izzy comes in, sometimes we stop playing like a team because we’ve relied on her so much in the past. While she was not in, we were probably spreading the ball around a little bit better. Both of them are nowhere near one hundred percent, but you gotta get them into the rotation a little bit.”Both squads had trouble gaining momentum early on. Whoever broke through the defensive pressure first had the chance to set the tone.

NorthPointe scored first in the paint and slowly gained points from free throws. By time the first quarter was over, the Trojans trailed 9-0.

Points finally came for Fruitport with a layup from Kendall Lee well into the second quarter. Hanson-Wilbur broke after being fouled in the second quarter, downing two free throws.

NorthPointe led 16-7 at halftime. Lee ended up with four points in the second.

Hanson-Wilbur broke out and scored eight points in the third quarter. Fruitport trailed 30-17 heading into the fourth.

“It was amazing being back on the court,” Hanson-Wilbur said. “I really loved how my teammates helped me through the process of it all.”

Junior Alexa Sweet opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer, but the Trojans could not get back into the game.

“I think mentally we’re in a good spot,” Packard said. “NorthPointe Christian had a good game plan. They executed it really well. It took us a really long time to figure out what they were trying to do, which was probably my fault. We’re still fine.
 I’m not really worried about these girls. They’re all pretty tough kids.”