Boys basketball
Mount Vernon 57, Centerburg 39
The Mount Vernon boys team (1-0, 0-0) kicked off its season on Nov. 23 against Centerburg (0-1, 0-0), and thanks to a 21-point night by Hudson Rohler, the Yellow Jackets cruised to a 57-39 win over the Trojans.
Mount Vernon was up 15-11 after one quarter, but in the second quarter the Yellow Jackets were able to distance themselves by going 15-9 to lead 31- 20 at halftime. The pace continued for the Yellow Jackets in the next two quarters with Mount Vernon outscoring Centerburg 13-10 in the third and 13-9 in the fourth quarter.
Mount Vernon coach Nick Coon was happy with his team's effort anf perrformance.
"It was a good start to our season getting a home win against Centerburg," Coon said. "We had positive contributions from our whole team. We did not shoot the ball well from the perimeter, but we found other ways to score through offensive rebounding and our defense. It will be important for us to be able to find different ways to win games as we continue through this season."
Rohler led the scoring charge with 21, making him the only Mount Vernon player in double digits, showing how heavily the team relied on his offense. A major aspect was Rohler’s ability to get to the free-throw line as he hit five shots from the charity stripe. Trevor Buttke had nine points, Ben Bridges scored seven points and Jack Marhefka scored five to round out the scoring leaders.
"Hudson brought great energy to the game on both ends of the floor against Centerburg," Coon said. "It was great to see him back on the floor with his best friends and teammates after missing last season due to a torn ACL. We look for Hudson as well as his teammates to continue to improve each game."
Centerburg was led by Colton Martin, who scored 12 points and was the only double-digit scorer on the team. Jack Lawrence was right behind him with eight points for the Trojans.
Next up, Mount Vernon is at Johnstown-Monroe on Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m. Centerburg hosted Northmor on Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m.
Northridge 58, Fredericktown 32
Fredericktown (0-1,0-0) traveled to Northridge (1-0, 0-0) on Nov. 23, and the opening game turned out to be a lopsided loss, 58-32.
It was a tough shooting night for Fredericktown, who shot 24% overall as a team and only 8% from 3-point land. They were outplayed in most facets of the game, including being outrebounded 30-29 and outassisted 13-2. They also only had five steals compared to 13 for Northridge and no blocks while Northridge blocked three shots.
Fredericktown hosted Highland (1-0, 0-0) on Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m.
Elgin 58, Northmor 51
The Northmor Golden Knights (0-1, 0-0) traveled to Elgin (1-0, 0-0) for the opening game of the season on Nov. 23, and while it was a close matchup, 3-point shooting and free throws proved to be a deciding factor in a 58-51 loss.
Elgin led 14-7 after one quarter, but Northmor battled in the second quarter to cut the lead to two, 21-19. It was a 32-31 game after three quarters, with Elgin barely holding onto the lead, but Elgin had a big fourth quarter with 26 points to widen the gap and take the win.
Northmor shot 41% from the field and 21% from beyond the arc, while Elgin hit 31% of their 3-pointers and 39% of their shots overall. Northmor only hit 50% of their free throws, while Elgin buried 79%.
Northmor outplayed Elgin in many areas, outrebounding Elgin 32-31 and dishing out 11 assists compared to eight. They also led in steals, 7-5, and blocks, 2-0.
Jaxson Wenger scored 18 points and drained four threes in the win. Grant Bentley also got into double figures with 13 points. Hunter Fulk added eight points.
Next up for Northmor was a conference road matchup against Centerburg (0-1, 0-0) on Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m.
Highland 51, Lakewood 39
On Nov. 25, Highland (1-0, 0-0) kicked off its regular season against Lakewood (0-2, 0-0) and took advantage of a great night shooting threes in a 51-39 victory.
The team dressed in Marengo Wildcat throwback jerseys, with coach Mike Delaney saying, "it was the first time the Wildcats had hit the floor since 1962." They took an 11-4 lead into the second quarter but then by halftime, the game was tied 19-19. In the second half, Highland used its depth and defensive pressure to pull away for the win.
Highland shot 52% from beyond the arc compared to 20% for Lakewood. Overall, the Fighting Scots shot 43% and held Lakewood to 38%. They also did well finding shooters with 14 assists compared to 10 for Lakewood. Lakewood did outrebound Highland, however, 23-20. Defensively, Highland had five steals and three blocks as a team.
Gavin Toombs was the top scorer for the Fighting Scots with 19 points, and Brock Church added 16 points in the victory. Eight players scored for the Highland, showing that the team did well getting the ball into the hands of open players all night.
Next up for Highland was Fredericktown (0-1, 0-0) on Nov. 29 on the road for a 7 p.m. tip off.
Cardington-Lincoln 47, Delaware Christian 33
Cardington-Lincoln (1-0, 0-0) kicked off the season against Delaware Christian (0-1, 0-0) on Nov. 26, and the Pirates took advantage of a big second half to take a 47-33 victory on opening night on the road.
The Pirates were up 12-8 after one quarter thanks to six points on three deuces by AJ Brehm but were outplayed in the second quarter (10-7), making it a 19-18 game at the half in favor of Cardington-Lincoln. Kalin Briggs scored five of C-L's seven in the quarter. The Pirates woke up in the third quarter and outscored the Eagles 12-4 and by a 16-11 count in the final frame to secure the win. Four Pirates divided up C-L's 12 third-quarter output, and Merek McClure put five points on the board for Cardington in the fourth.
Brehm finished the night with 12 points and was the only player in double figures for the Pirates. McClure added nine points in the win, and AJ Hall and Journey Williamson each added eight.
On Nov. 29, Cardington-Lincoln traveled to Ridgedale for a 7:30 p.m. nonconference matchup.
Girls basketball
Mount Gilead 59, Galion 15
Mount Gilead (1-0, 0-0) kicked off the girls’ basketball season against Galion on Nov. 26 in front of a home crowd and did not disappoint in a 59-15 victory.
The Mount Gilead squad only hit 39% of their shots and 28% from three point territory, but they dominated in every aspect of the game. The Indians outrebounded Galion 44-21, led in assists 15-5, led in steals 15-4 and had one block compared to zero for Galion. They also held Galion to 20% shooting and did not let them hit a three pointer.
Next for Mount Gilead is a road matchup against Danville (1-0, 0-0) on Nov. 30 at 7 p.m.
