WMVO Good Times Great Oldies
The Centerburg Lady Trojans basketball team picked up win number 21 Tuesday Night as they knocked off East Knox for the 3rd time this year with a 63-41 win in the Division Six District Semifinals. East Knox (11-12) got on the board first on a bucket by Malena Streby but Kenlee Fairall and Kayla Larimore hit back to back threes and Tiara Sheppard scored a bucket as part of an 8-0 Centerburg run to go up 8-2. Bulldogs Senior Sydney Opfer scored before Fairall hit another 3. Ella Divan got on the board for the Bulldogs but Larimore made it 13-6 with 313 to go in the quarter after her score. Streby and Molly Totten got back to back buckets and Jasmine Smith scored as part of a 6-0 run to end the quarter for the Bulldogs to trail by just one, 13-12, after the first period.
The Bulldogs missed a chance to take the lead to open the second period as they couldn’t convert on a pair of free throws but at the 650 mark they took the lead anyway on a make by Streby. Evie Stowe hit a three for Centerburg to get the lead back. After Lauren Ellis and Smith traded baskets it was 17-15 Trojans with 517 left in the half. Larimore and Reese Todd each scored before the Trojans went on a run. Tiara Sheppard got a lay in and then a steal and score, Stowe then added a three to make it 26-17 with 152 left in the half. Opfer made a free throw and Divan scored to cut the lead to 6 before Larimore got an and one and Fairall hit two free throws to make it 31-20 at half.
Fairall opened the scoring in the third and Stowe added a three to go up 16 less than a minute into the half. Opfer got a two before a Larimore 3 made it 39-22 with 619 left in the quarter. Stowe hit another trey after Ava Faucett scored for the Bulldogs and Larimore and Sheppard converted on 4 free throws to send the Trojans up 46-24. Kenlee Fairall scored again before Opfer put one back off a miss to make it 48-26 with 134 left in the period. Larimore and Streby traded buckets to end the quarter and Centerburg led 50-28 after 3.
Centerburg’s lead ballooned to 25 with Larimore opened the fourth quarter with an and one. Isabelle Bostic got a steal and lay in for the Bulldogs but a Fairall an one made it a 26 point Trojans lead with 506 left. Opfer scored and Fairall answered Opfer then got another bucket before a Fairall free throw made it 61-34 with 247 left. Totten and Bostic got back to scores to make it 61-39. Larimore and Divan finished the scoring making it 63-41.
Coach Abner of Centerburg said after the game that it was about Centerburg and how they play that can make it difference and that they played well Tuesday Night. He wants his team to work not allowing offensive rebounds as East Knox had unofficially 14 offensive rebounds in the game.
Larimore scored 22 points and Kenlee Fairall 20 points for Centerburg. Both players were first team All KMAC selections. Stowe had 12 on four threes for Centerburg, Sheppard scored 8.
Opfer led the way with 11 for the Bulldogs in the loss.
Centerburg will take on Newark Catholic for a District Title Saturday at 8pm at Ohio Dominican University