Scots lose game at the line to Pleasant, 62-57
The Highland Scots traveled to Pleasant High School on Dec. 4, and in a tough and close game that was decided by free-throw performance, the Scots went home with a 62-57 loss in what was the first win of the season for Pleasant.
Highland now has a 1-3 record.
The first half was tight all the way, with each team scoring 16 in the first and 10 in the second. The first quarter saw Jordan Bellamy and Brock Church score from 3-point land and Garrett Fitzpatrick light up the twine for seven points.
The half ended at 27-27 with strong play by Fitzpatrick, who had 15 of his game-high 27 points in the first two quarters. Gavin Hankins had all six of his game points in the first half, including a second quarter three-pointer.
The third quarter was tight, but Pleasant outscored the Scots 14-10, with Fitzpatrick putting up half of the team’s points. Pleasant took a 41-27 lead into the fourth.
The final frame was a shooting contest in which Pleasant narrowly outscored Highland 21-20. Pleasant only hit two field goals in the quarter but sank 17 of 23 at the foul line. The Scots scored 13 points from the field and seven at the line in the quarter. Fitzpatrick had seven points. Bellamy hit another three-pointer and finished with nine points, which was the second highest on the team. He had six fourth-quarter points, and Dane Nauman scored five of his seven points in the fourth quarter.
For the game, Highland was 13 for 25 at the line, and Pleasant was 21 for 31, deciding the outcome at the stripe.
Danville 61, Cardington-Lincoln 52
Danville (2-3, 1-2 KMAC) withstood the Nate Hickman show and a furious fourth-quarter charge by Cardington-Lincoln (1-4, 0-3 KMAC) to defeat the Pirates 61-52, Friday night. Hickman led all scorers with 30 points, but it was not enough to take down more balanced scoring by the Blue Devils.
Danville and Walker Weckesser were in command from the opening tip as Weckesser scored nine points in the first, with Darren Mickley getting five to lead three Blue Devils to a 20-9 lead. Hickman put up eight of C-L’s nine points in the quarter. Danville stretched the lead to a 30-16 advantage in the first half, with Hickman putting up 13 of C-L’s 16. Danville made it 41-24 after three.
Then came the fourth, with both teams on fire offensively. The Pirates put 28 points on the board, and the Blue Devils hit for 20. Once again, Hickman put on a show for Cardington-Lincoln by throwing down 13 points, including three threes, to make it five 3-pointers for the game. Mickley hit eight for the Blue Devils, Spencer Payne scored six and Weckesser five.
Weckesser led Danville with 16 points, Mickley had 14 and Payne scored 13. In addition to Hickman’s 30, C-L had five scorers, with no one getting more than five points.
East Knox 45, Northmor 37
Undefeated East Knox (3-0, 3-0 KMAC) rode a 24-point performance by Shane Knepp to hand Northmor (3-2, 21- KMAC) its first conference loss on Friday by a score of 45-37.
Knepp scored seven in the first for East Knox as the Bulldogs took an 11-7 lead. The EK advantage increased to 25-19 at halftime, with 15 points coming from Knepp.
Defense ruled the third quarter as EK was held to three points and Northmor countered with only seven to put the score at 28-26 heading into the fourth.
East Knox nailed down the win with a 17-11 fourth quarter. Payton Lester scored all seven of his game points in the fourth for EK, which also got six clutch points from Knepp. Northmor received scoring from six players but not more than four from any player in any quarter.
East Knox was paced by Knepp’s 24 points and Sam Whitney’s eight. Northmor was led by Grant Bentley with 12 points and Graesin Cass with eight.
Centerburg 72, Mount Gilead 38
Mount Gilead started strong with nine first-quarter points by Elijah Chafin, but Centerburg was devastating with a 22-point first quarter to take a 22-13 lead, led by McKinnon Mead’s eight points. The Trojans continued their torrid pace with 19 points in the second, paced by Levi Houck’s eight points. Centerburg led at the half, 41-18.
In the third, Aaron Gannon put in six points for the Indians, who managed 10 points. Centerburg put the game away with 20 more points to up the margin to 61-28 after three. In the fourth, the Trojans took care of business and the ball and finished off the 34-point victory. The Trojans committed only 11 turnovers to 20 for the Indians. Centerburg remains undefeated at 4-0, 2-0 KMAC, and Mount Gilead fell to 2-3, 1-2 KMAC.
For the game, Centerburg was paced by Houck with 20 points. Mead scored 18 and Alex Johnson had 12. Mount Gilead’s Chafin put in 14, and Gannon scored 11.
Mount Vernon 62, Mansfield 61
A tight first half moved into a come-from-behind situation in the second half for Mount Vernon (2-2, 1-0 OCC), as it beat Mansfield (2-2 1-1 OCC) in a thriller, 62-61.
Mansfield came out of the first quarter with a 16-15 lead, and the score was tied at halftime, 34-34. Mansfield outscored the Jackets 16-11 in the third to take a 50-45 lead heading into the fourth, but Mount Vernon took back the game with a 17-11 fourth quarter to seal the win, 62-21.
Mount Vernon received scoring from six players. Caden Rowland led the Yellow Jackets with 11 points, and Nolan Belcher scored 10.
