Fredericktown 44, Delaware Christian 24
Freshman Ella Bouton put on a show with a double-double against Delaware Christian, leading Fredericktown (3-8, 0-5) to a 44-24 win on Jan. 2 to snap a five-game losing streak.
Fredericktown opened the game with a 10-4 lead after one quarter. Bouton and Mya Bryant led the way with four points each. Cally Carpenter had the other bucket for the Freddies. With a 6-4 second-quarter advantage, the Freddies went into halftime with a 16-8 lead. Bryant had eight points in the first half to lead the charge.
The Freddies scored 19 points in the third quarter and held Delaware Christian to six. Carpenter had six points in the quarter and Bouton scored five, including a shot from downtown. The Freddies wrapped up the win with a nine-point fourth quarter. The Eagles scored 10 points, but Fredericktown's lead was too much and they were able to take a 20-point victory.
Bouton had an efficient night shooting the ball, going 7-for-13 in a 16-point showing. This included going 1-for-2 from deep. She also gathered 10 boards, with six of them being offensive, along with four steals, four assists, and a block.
Carpenter scored 11 points, tallying six rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Bryant had eight points, seven rebounds, and a steal. Lillian Rose scored seven points and added a block. Jill Bouton was a beast on defense with five blocks and a steal. She also had seven rebounds, an assist, and two points.
Highland 46, Centerburg 43
Highland (2-9, 1-4) got some dead-eye shooting by Shelby Conley in the fourth quarter. The Lady Scots took a tight 46-43 win over Centerburg (5-5, 1-4) on Jan. 3.
Kameron Stover drained a three from the corner in the first quarter to take a 7-6 lead for Highland. Down 9-7, Aubree Bellamy blocked a shot under the basket to prevent Centerburg from widening the lead. Highland was up by one; Abby Jordan then nailed a three to give Highland a 13-9 lead. Centerburg ended the quarter with a 14-13 advantage, fueled by six points each for Kayla Larimore and Kenlee Fairall.
Kate Clements showed hustle in the second quarter on a solid block, as the Lady Scots held a 17-16 lead. It was a low-scoring quarter, with Highland putting up six and Centerburg only two, making it a 19-16 game in favor of Highland at the half.
Down 20-19 in the third quarter, Bellamy sent a shot back for her second block of the game. Centerburg outscored Highland 12-7 in the quarter to take a 28-26 lead.
Centerburg led 34-31 in the fourth quarter when Highland's Conley tied up the game with a big three from the corner, despite a hand in her face. Conley hit her third three of the night on the next possession to take a 37-34 lead. She continued her outstanding quarter and broke another tie with a corner three to give Highland the 37-34 lead in what had become a seesaw battle. Highland was able to take a 46-39 lead on a steal and a fast break lay-up by Bellamy as the quarter neared a close. Highland outscored Centerburg 20-15 in the frame, and the Lady Scots were able to get back in the win column with a three-point victory.
Highland was led by Conley's 17 points, which included five makes from downtown. Bellamy chipped in 10 points and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Stover scored seven points in the win. Guinevere Jackson had five points, including a three; Jordan had five points; and Clements added two points. The Trojans were led by Kenlee Fairall and Larimore, who each had 15 points. Clara Johnson scored six, Kennedi Glenn scored five, and Chesnee Fairall made a bucket to round out the scoring.
Bo Glenn, Centerburg's coach, said it was another close one for the Trojans, who had four losses within five points. Two of those were two-point losses and another went to overtime.
"We lost another tight game," Glenn said. "I wish we would win a few of these, but these close games help us continue to grow and get better each week, and we hope it results in better success as the season progresses."
Utica 36, Licking Valley 31
Defense was the name of the game for Utica (3-6, 0-4). Riley Thompson made a big steal as time was winding down to secure a 36-31 win over Licking Valley (2-9, 1-4) on Jan. 3.
Abby Dickson drilled a three-pointer in the first quarter, with 6:05 on the clock, for the first score of the night. Licking Valley responded with a three and threatened to score on the next possession, but Delaney Kerstetter swatted away a shot near the basket. Down one with 3:05 left, Bella Coulter gave Utica a 6-5 lead on a three. Thompson stepped in front of a pass for an athletic steal about a minute later, then Skylar Parker got in on the defensive fun with a steal of her own seconds later. Kerstetter also tallied a steal toward the end of the quarter.
The game remained close through halftime; both teams put eight on the board and Utica led 14-13. Coulter led the way with six points at the half.
Abby Dickson put Utica up 17-13 in the third quarter on a three from the top of the key, but Utica found themselves down 23-22 after three quarters.
Licking Valley was up 27-26 in the fourth quarter when Coulter nailed a three to put Utica up by two. Licking Valley threatened to score down 33-31, but Kerstetter made a great defensive effort on a block in the paint. Utica was up 34-31 with less than a minute on the clock. With Licking Valley near the basket, Thompson came away with a steal to seal the win.
Coulter finished the night with 16 points and hit a pair of shots from deep. She also was 6-for-8 from the free-throw line. Dickson had 15 points and sank two threes.
