Cardington-Lincoln knocks off Grandview Heights, 60-23
Cardington-Lincoln (18-3, 11-1) has been struggling lately, but this is playoff time, and the Lady Pirates put their struggles behind them and got down to business in the first round against Grandview Heights.
C-L came into the playoffs the top-ranked team in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference, and the Lady Pirates played like it in the opening round matchup against the Bobcats on Feb. 19, taking command early for an easy 60-23 victory.
The Lady Pirates wasted no time piling on the points, outscoring the Bobcats 23-8 to start the game, led by nine points apiece by Beth Hardwick and Dana Bertke. It only got worse for Grandview Heights, who was held to a single basket in the second quarter and found itself down 43-10 at the half. Mikayla Linkous ended the half with nine points, including seven in the second quarter.
The second half was less lopsided, with the Lady Pirates outscoring the Bobcats 17-13, but the hole was far too deep to climb out of for Grandview Heights.
The Lady Pirates finished with four players in double figures in a dominant win to get Cardington-Lincoln started on their post-season run. Linkous, Bertke and Hardwick each had 12 points, and Kambry Edwards had 10 points, including a pair from downtown.
Cardington-Lincoln moved onto the Division 3 District semifinals on Feb. 22, facing Johnstown. Results were not available by press time.
Danville blows out Pataskala Liberty Christian in first-round playoff matchup
The Danville Blue Devils led from the start in a Division 4 sectional playoff matchup against Pataskala Liberty Christian (5-17), in what was an easy 89-16 win on Feb. 19. The Blue Devils are 18-5 on the season and 10-2 in the KMAC.
The contest was a showcase of defense and offense for the Danville squad, with the Blue Devils holding the Eagles to only two points in each of the first two quarters of the game, while putting up 44 and 30 respectively. Brooklynn Hess scored all 20 of her points in the first half, supported by Kylee Hess, who scored all 14 of her points in the first half, including 11 in the first quarter. She also hit a pair of threes.
In the second quarter Jaylyn Smith scored nine points and Camie Newbold had six of her eight points.
The starting unit was out for most of the second half, but Danville still outscored the Eagles 11-6 in the third. The 'Devils were outscored 6-4 in the final quarter, but there was no chance for the Eagles to cut down the huge lead.
Brooklynn Hess led all scorers with 20 points, all coming in the first half. Also hitting double figures was Kylee Hess with 14 points, and Smith finished with 12 points.
Danville has won it last two games by a combined score of 145-30. The Blue Devils move on to the Division 4 District semifinals against Ridgedale, taking place tonight at Highland at 7 p.m.
Lady Trojans end long season with 69-34 loss to Africentric
The Centerburg girls’ basketball team ended a tough season with a tough loss. The 2021-22 season has been a long one for the Trojans, and they finished it by falling to Africentric Early College (18-5) on Feb. 19 in the first round of the playoffs, 69-34, to end the season with a 3-20 record.
The Nubians went up big from the start with a 20-7 lead after a quarter. Kennedi Glenn hit a three for the Trojans in the first, but otherwise the team was quiet out of the gate. The Trojans did slow down Africentric in the second quarter, but Trojans' offensive firepower was missing again, and the Nubians held a commanding 35-11 lead at the half. Alyssa Harris put up six points in the half for Centerburg.
With the Trojans' season on the line, the team looked to try to claw back into the game in the second half, putting up 14 points for a solid offensive output. The Trojans couldn’t stop Kamryn Grant, who put up 17 of her 23 points in the third quarter, and Centerburg was down 59-25 after three quarters. Clara Johnson had seven points in the quarter for the Trojans. The Trojans were then outscored 10-9 to finish out the game and the season.
Harris finished out the game with 11 points to lead Centerburg. Johnson scored nine points Glenn scored six points on two makes from downtown.
Fredericktown falls to Amanda-Clearcreek, 54-44
Fredericktown traveled to Amanda-Clearcreek for a first-round playoff matchup on Feb. 19, and despite keeping things relatively close, the Freddies’ season came to a close with a 54-44 loss, falling to 15-8 and 7-5 in league play.
Fredericktown was down by four after one quarter with Amanda-Clearcreek taking a 16-12 lead, but the teams evened up in the second quarter with nine points each, making it a 25-21 Amanda-Clearcreek at the half. Grace Sipes had eight points to lead the Freddies in the half, with Gabby Daniels putting up seven points in the half.
The Freddies cut the lead to three in the third quarter, outscoring Amanda-Clearcreek 10-9, but a big fourth quarter by the Aces spelled doom for what was a valiant effort by Fredericktown to try to get back into the game. Emily Buckley of Amanda-Clearcreek proved to be the difference with 23 points, including nine points down the stretch. She did well getting to the line and making her shots, going 11-for-14, as the entire Freddeis' squad went 10-for-14 from the stripe.
Daniels and Sipes each had 15 points for the Freddies in the loss.
