Northmor 49, Mount Gilead 47
Mount Gilead (11-3, 6-2) and Northmor (8-4, 6-2) battled back-and-forth on Jan.14, and the Golden Knights were able to squeak by with a 49-47 KMAC victory.
Mount Gilead was up 12-10 in the first quarter when Northmor's Ryann Brinkman came away with a loose ball for a steal. In the second, with Mount Gilead ahead 21-13, Lady Knight Lauren Johnson showed hustle in a deft steal. Riley Johnson then brought the Lady Knights within three points on a make from downtown to put the game at 21-18 with about 3:30 left in the half. Less than a minute later, she tied up the game 21-21 on another make from downtown.
In the third quarter, Northmor went up 34-29 on a three by Lauren Johnson. In the fourth, with 6:55 left, Madison Simpson kept it a 34-32 Northmor lead on a block under the basket. Lauren Johnson extended the Northmor lead to five with a three from the top of the key to put the score at 39-34. With about three minutes to play, Emily Zeger made an athletic defensive play on a blocked shot near the hoop. She followed up with a steal about a minute later. Riley Johnson capped off the scoring for Northmor with a 3-pointer.
Ontario 46, Highland 39
Highland (2-10, 1-6) showed their fight in a big comeback attempt in the second half, and while they brought the game to within single digits, Ontario (3-9, 2-4) was able to hold on for a 46-39 win on Jan. 12.
“Highland battled back from a 17-point second half deficit, cutting it to six with the ball but ultimately couldn't get over the hump,” Highland coach Matt Bradley said.
Ontario struck first with a bucket to start the game, but Shelby Conley gave Highland a 3-2 lead with a three from the corner. Highland took a 5-4 lead and with Ontario threatening to score, Makayla Woods stepped in front of a pass for a steal. Ontario ended the quarter ahead 11-7.
In the second quarter down 22-13, Highland's Bryleigh Young drained a three to make it a six-point game. Ontario outscored Highland 15-11 and took a 26-18 lead into halftime.
The Lady Scots were down 15 points when Abby Jordan sank a three to make it a 37-25 game, ending the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter down 11 points, Lady Scot Kate Clements hit a three to put the score at 42-34 in favor of Ontario. Then down 45-36, Conley hit from deep to cut the lead to six. Highland put 14 points on the board and held Ontario to nine points, but it wasn’t enough to claw back into the game for the Lady Scots.
Leading the Scots with nine points were Kameron Stover and Guinevere Jackson. Abby Jordan and Conley scored seven and six points, respectively.
Wooster 51, Mount Vernon 28
Nevaeh Williams recorded a double-double for Mount Vernon (6-8, 3-7) on Jan. 12, but it wasn’t enough to topple the Wooster Generals (9-6, 6-3) in a 51-28 defeat.
Wooster led 11-4 after one quarter and made it a 24-9 lead at halftime. They never let up in the third quarter, outscoring the Yellow Jackets 19-13, finishing the game with a 9-6 advantage.
Williams scored 12 points and grabbed 10 boards while dishing out a pair of assists. Kymber Bell had five points and also did well on the glass with 10 rebounds to go with three steals.
Danville 49, Centerburg 34
Broegan Staats and Ella Proper put together solid second halves for Danville (5-7, 3-5) on Jan. 14, with the Blue Devils taking a 49-34 win over KMAC rival Centerburg (5-9, 1-6).
Both teams had trouble finding the basket in the first quarter, with Centerburg going up 3-2 after one quarter. Kennedi Glenn drained a 3-pointer for Centerburg to give the team the lead.
In the second quarter, both teams woke up offensively, with Centerburg scoring 15 points and Danville putting 14 points on the board. There were six Trojans who scored in the quarter, with Kayla Larimore leading the way with four points. Kylee Hess led the Danville squad with four points in the frame.
Centerburg led 18-16 going into the second half, but Danville’s offense exploded for 17 third-quarter points, while their defense held Centerburg to six points. Staats scored five points, while Hess and Jaylyn Smith each hit threes. Larimore scored four points for Centerburg.
In the fourth quarter, Danville finished strong with 16 points, 12 of which came on free throws. Proper sank four free throws in the quarter.
Danville was led by Proper and Staats, who both put up 11 points. Staats had four boards and a pair of steals, while Proper had three boards, two assists and a steal. Hess scored nine points to go with four rebounds, three steals, an assist and a block. Leading Centerburg was Larimore with 15 points, while Clara Johnson scored five points and Chesnee Fairall had four points.
Utica 43, Northridge 24
Utica (5-7, 2-5) had solid bookend quarters against Northridge (6-9, 4-6) on Jan. 14, helping them to a 43-24 victory.
Utica started with a 16-7 advantage. Abby Dickson hit a pretty step-back three to make it a 9-3 game. Utica scored again making it 11-3, and Delaney Kerstetter showed some intuitive defense by getting into a passing lane for a steal. Skylar Parker also had a pair of steals in the quarter, and Carlie Hill added a steal of her own.
The Redskins then had a rough shooting quarter in the second, only putting two points on the board. Their defense played well, however, and Utica held an 18-13 lead into halftime.
Utica outscored Northridge 8-5 in the third quarter, highlighted by a steal by Dickson. Utica ended the game on a high note with a 17-6 advantage in the fourth quarter. Riley Thompson hit a three to put Utica up 29-20, and then another three to make it a 34-22 game.
