Cardington-Lincoln 23, Northmor 19
You don't often see a team held under 20 points in a game.
But, thanks to a strategy change by Cardington-Lincoln, the Pirates were able to stealth their way to a 23-19 win over Northmor on Jan. 21.
“We made a change and decided to play more zone and trap the first pass,” Kevin Fitzpatrick, Cardington-Lincoln's coach, said. “We forced them into some contested shots and kept their scoring down.”
The Pirates struck first with 6:58 on the clock in the first quarter on a corner three by Lydia Hess. Moments later, Madison Caulkins made it a 5-0 game on a steal by Samantha Miller, who dished it to Caulkins for a fast-break lay-up. It was a 6-0 game with Caulkins coming away with a steal on a loose ball. Cardington’s run continued to eight unanswered points and when Northmor was working to get points on the board, Miller came away with her second steal of the night. This was followed by a block from behind by Genevieve Longsdorf and a steal by Kaliann Hardy with 51 seconds left. Northmor was held scoreless in the opening frame and the Pirates took an 8-0 lead after one.
At 11-3 in the second, Longsdorf blocked a shot, which she quickly followed with another block. Emily Zeger hit a three for Northmor and the Pirates got buckets from Longsdorf, Abigail Hardwick, and Louisa Hallabrin. Going into halftime, Cardington-Lincoln led 15-3.
“They played zone in the first half and we struggled to finish shots at the rim. We missed a lot of easy ones,” Coach Fitzpatrick said.
Northmor battled in the third quarter, outscoring the Pirates 11-3. They were led by Lauren Johnson, who had five points including a three. Longsdorf had the lone basket for the Pirates.
Northmor had cut the lead to three by the fourth quarter; the Pirates were up 17-14 with 6:30 left in the game and Cardington outscored Northmor 6-5 in the quarter to secure the win.
“In the second half, we stayed in the zone and kept making them make tough shots,” Coach Fitzpatrick said. “They had some offensive rebound put-backs that tightened the score and we had some turnovers that limited possessions. Luckily, we made the plays down the stretch when it was winning time. We had a steal and the ball got knocked out of bounds. I called a time-out and we ran a great OOB play for a lay-up. They made a three, then Lydia Hess made two big free throws to give us a four-point lead. It was a struggle for both teams.”
Longsdorf and Caulkins each scored six points and Hess added five points. Northmor was led by Johnson’s five points.
Mount Vernon 42, Mansfield Madison 35
Rees Lepley led the Mount Vernon Yellow Jackets (7-9, 4-7) with 15 points in a 42-35 win over Mansfield Madison on Jan. 19.
Mount Vernon went up 12-6 in the first quarter, but Mansfield Madison outscored the Lady Jackets 8-7 in the second, making a 19-14 lead for MV at the half. Mount Vernon came out hot in the third with an 11-5 advantage. While Mansfield Madison put 16 points on the board in the fourth quarter, the Yellow Jackets scored 12 and were able to hold on for the seven-point win.
Lepley led MV with 15 points, five boards, and an assist. Kymber Bell had seven points, nine boards, and three steals. Nevaeh Williams had seven points, five boards, three steals, and a block.
East Knox 32, Centerburg 30
Ella Divan was the only player to hit double figures in a defensive battle between East Knox (6-10, 4-5) and Centerburg 6-10, 2-7). The Bulldogs held on for a 32-30 win on Jan. 21, making them undefeated since the start of the new year.
East Knox went up 8-4 in the first quarter, with Raelyn Todd hitting a three and leading the charge with five points. Kayla Larimore and Clara Johnson each had two points for Centerburg.
Centerburg had a solid second quarter with 12 points, allowing seven points to East Knox to make it a 16-15 Centerburg lead at halftime. Avery and Kennedi Glenn each had 3-pointers in the quarter. Divan scored four points to lead East Knox.
In the third quarter, East Knox had a 10-5 advantage, with Sydney Opfer making a pair of buckets for four points. Centerburg’s Chesnee Fairall had three points in the quarter. While Centerburg finished out the game strong with an 11-7 fourth, the Bulldogs were able to fend off the Trojans for a two-point victory.
Divan hit three shots from downtown and led the way with 12 points for East Knox. Centerburg was led by Larimore and Glenn, who each scored eight points.
“This second half of the season, we have really started to play our game and develop as a team,” Mandy Todd, East Knox's coach, said. “We are now 5-0 in 2023. Early in the season, we struggled with sickness and injuries, but the girls are finally healthy and strong and playing with such grit. We showed up tonight and fought hard as a team. Our defense led the way and we attacked offensively. The last few minutes scared us a bit. We had a few turnovers that could've cost us the game, but we practice those scenarios and knew what to do. In the end, we found a way to win and I couldn't be more proud of this team."
Danville 59, Fredericktown 54
Danville (6-9, 4-6) and Fredericktown (1-8, 4-12) were back-and-forth all game. While it was a one-point game after three quarters, the Blue Devils were able to use a trio of double-figure scorers to take a 59-54 win over the Freddies on Jan. 21.
Danville led 17-15 after one quarter with Kylee Hess hitting a pair of threes to lead the charge. Cally Carpenter had eight points in the quarter for Fredericktown.
In the second quarter, Fredericktown had a 12-8 advantage, led by Ella Bouton’s seven points. Danville was led by Ella Proper’s four points.
Fredericktown led 27-25 at the half, and in the third quarter, Danville took over the lead with a 16-13 advantage, making it 41-40. Proper scored 10 points, highlighted by a pair of threes. Carpenter had nine points for the Freddies.
Danville finished the game with an 18-14 advantage to secure the win for the Blue Devils. Hess, Jaylyn Workman, and Proper scored four points each. Carpenter had six points for the Freddies.
Proper led the Danville squad with 18 points; 14 came in the second half. She had a pair of threes in the win and hit all four of her free throws. Workman scored 12 points and Hess scored 10 points.
Cally Carpenter, who is the top scorer in KMAC at approximately 15 points per game, was on track with 24 points on 10-for-15 shooting. She added three boards – all offensive – and three assists to go with five steals. Bouton had a double-double performance with 13 points and 11 rebounds. She also had three steals and an assist. Grace Sipes scored 15 points to go with five steals and three assists.
