Danville 66, Fredericktown 58
Danville (3-3, 2-2) fended off a 26-point performance by Fredericktown’s (3-3, 0-3) Cally Carpenter on Dec.14, with Kylie Hess and Broegan Staats combining for 30 points in a 66-58 Blue Devils’ win over their KMAC rival.
Danville had a big offensive first quarter, outscoring the Freddies 19-10 to jump out to an early lead. Staats hit a three and led the way with five points in the quarter. Carpenter was red-hot from the beginning with eight points. Fredericktown’s scoring kicked into gear in the second quarter with 21 points, including six points by Jill Bouton, to cut the lead down to six. Danville countered with 18, led by Staats, who hit a pair of threes and had eight points.
It was anyone’s game going into the fourth, but Danville was able to capitalize off the strong play of Hess, who scored eight points to propel them to the win. The Blue Devils outscored the Freddies 18-12 and were able to seal the win despite Carpenter scoring eight points, with six coming on free throws.
Danville had four players in double figures. Staats led with 16 points, including four threes, to lead the scoring for the Blue Devils. Hess had 14 points, five boards, four assists, and a pair of steals. Ella Proper and Jaylyn Workman each had 12 points. Workman had eight rebounds, including six offensive boards, and added three steals and three assists.
The Freddies had three players in double figures and another with eight points, but the rest of the team struggled to find the basket. Carpenter went 10-for-10 at the line and hit 16 points from the field. Jill Bouton and Ella Bouton each had 10 points and a three-pointer.
Centerburg 45, East Knox 28
Centerburg (2-4, 1-3) had three players in double figures, spreading the ball around while playing solid defense. The Trojans took a 45-28 win over East Knox (2-4, 1-2).
Centerburg found themselves trailing in the first quarter, 8-7, with Ella Divan hitting a pair of baskets to give East Knox an early lead. However, in the second quarter, East Knox sputtered for only four points. Centerburg had nine with Kayla Larimore, Clara Johnson, and Tina Sheppard all scoring three points.
Bo Glenn, Centerburg coach, was elated about the “great win” and impressed by the effort his team put on the court against what he called “a gritty East Knox team.”
“Our young kids battled all night and we were just able to outlast them,” Glenn said. “The end of the third quarter, we were able to make a nice run, then add to our lead in the fourth quarter.”
Larimore was the top scorer with 14 points, and Johnson and Sheppard had 11 and 10 points respectively. The Bulldogs were led by Divan, who had 10 points in the game.
Cardington-Lincoln 39, Northmor 38
Cardington-Lincoln (5-2, 2-0) was playing short-handed against Northmor (3-2, 2-1), but that wasn’t enough to slow them down. Senior forward Madison Caulkins put up 16 points to squeak by with a 39-38 win on Dec. 14.
The Pirates jumped out to a 10-2 lead after one quarter, with Abigail Hardwick picking up a couple of buckets. Both teams scored six points in the second quarter; Caulkins scored four points for the Pirates and Madison Simpson had four for the Golden Knights.
Cardington-Lincoln had a 16-8 lead going into the second half. That is when Northmor started to claw back into the game, outscoring the Pirates 18-9. Emily Zeger had seven points in the quarter for Northmor, including a make from deep. Maizy Brinkman scored all four of her points in the quarter, which included a three. Cardington’s Caulkins scored five of the team’s nine points.
Northmor had a 26-25 lead to start the fourth quarter, and it was a battle right to the finish. Hess hit a big three, followed by a C-L steal and a free throw. Caulkins made one of two free throws with eight seconds left, and that was the winning point. A foul put Northmor on the line for two with no time left. The Lady Knights made one and finished down by a point.
Kevin Fitzpatrick, C-L girls basketball coach, said the Lady Pirates' team motto should be "The Grind," because that’s what it is.
"It was a game that we’ll learn a lot from," Fitzpatrick said. "Every game is a grind and we’re learning to finish them. It will help us be battle-tested for the second half of the season and the tournament. I am really proud of our kids."
