Rivalry games bring out the best in teams, players and coaches and often come down to executing the fundamentals. Saturday’s Fredericktown vs.Centerburg girls basketball game lived up to the blueprint.
Each team controlled the game for a half, three players scored more than 20 points, and coaching adjustments turned the tide in the tightly contested game that came down to the final possession.
Fredericktown (4-8, 1-5 KMAC) overcame a nine-point halftime deficit and earned its first Knox Morrow Athletic Conference (KMAC) win of the season, 58-56, at Centerburg (5-8, 1-5 KMAC).
In a fast-paced first half that saw both teams push the ball up the floor, Centerburg entered the locker room with a nine-point lead. Clara Johnson’s 21 points led the Trojans, who made five 3-point baskets in the half.
“The first half was fun, fun for the kids, fun to watch,” Centerburg girls head coach Bo Glenn said.
The Trojans' scoring in the half came primarily off the perimeter, with very few second chance opportunities.
Fredericktown opened the second half with a 13-0 run and took a 48-44 lead after three quarters, outscoring the Trojans 20-9 in eight minutes of play. Ella Bouton led the Freddies' attack with 10 of her team-high 23 points during the period.
The 20-point third was a turning point in the game.
“We talked about settling down in the third quarter, we tend to lose third quarters and we have to win this one,” Fredericktown girls basketball coach Tim Maceyko said. “So we did that.”
Johnson, who fueled the Trojan offense in the first half, was held in check by the Freddies' defense in the second half. Her two-point basket at the 3:29 minute mark of the third period was the only points she scored the rest of the game.
“We were talking about No. 21 (Johnson) being hot and we gave up those threes. I said 'Whenever you come in, we expect to play up in the grill and we're still letting her shoot,'” Maceyko said. "So we made some adjustments and the kids rose up and they did what we asked them to do. They did a good job boxing out, controlling the tempo a little bit more in the second half and that's the game that we're capable of playing."
Fredericktown took a different approach entering the fourth period, playing with a lead.
“We actually have a four-corner style of basketball, and I just wanted to not stall, but spread the floor to get them spread out and then attack,” Maceyko said. “Because Cally Carpenter is about an 80% free-throw shooter, we're trying to get her and Ella Bouton to the line because we knew those two could hit some free throws down the stretch and luckily it worked out for us.”
Kayla Larimore was the offensive catalyst for the Trojans in the fourth quarter. The sophomore post player scored all 12 of the team's points down the stretch. She finished with 21 points.
“Coach Maceyko did a great job of taking Johnson out of the game, but then we knew that Kayla was going to be able to step up,” Glenn said.
After Larimore put the Trojans ahead 54-50, Fredericktown hit a pair of threes to reclaim a lead they would not relinquish.
Larimore added her final points of the game with 17.6 seconds on the clock and got the Trojans within a point of Fredericktown at 57-56.
The Trojans fouled Bouton, who missed the front end of a one-and-one. Jill Bouton got the rebound for the Freddies and quickly called a timeout.
On the inbound, Cally Carpenter was fouled by the Trojans. The sophomore made the second of her two free throws to end the game.
Coach Maceyko said the close game was typical of the Freddies' season thus far.
"Except for the Clear Fork game, our entire season has been like today. We’ve just struggled to close them out but we’ve been there. I joked with the kids, we were 2-8 in 2022, but we are 2-0 in 2023. It’s a new year," Maceyko said.
In addition to Ella Bouton's 23-point effort, Carpenter scored 15 points and Lillian Rose scored eight points off the bench for Fredericktown.
Johnson paced the Trojans with 23 points, Larimore added 21 and Kennedi Glenn scored nine points coming off three treys.
Both teams have road games on Jan 11; Fredericktown travels to Cardington and Centerburg travels to Northmor.
