Centerburg 56, Delaware Christian 30
Centerburg (6-10, 2-7) got a hot shooting night out of Kayla Larimore, who was on fire from downtown against the Delaware Christian Eagles (10-6, 6-3) in a 56-30 blowout win on Jan. 26.
The Trojans started the game with a 16-6 lead after one quarter, with Avery Glenn and Kennedi Glenn each sinking threes.
Centerburg proceeded to dominate the game until halftime, at one point going on a 13-0 run to make it a 25-6 game. At halftime, the Trojans were up 27-12, with Larimore going off for 14 points, including three makes from three.
By the third quarter, it was clear Centerburg was in charge, up 35-12. The Trojans led 44-19 at the end of the quarter, with Larimore adding five more points, including a three.
The Trojans continued to play excellent defense while cruising offensively, up 46-19 in the fourth with about 6:50 on the clock. The Trojans cruised to a 26-point victory in a game they led in nearly every area. Tiara Sheppard led the fourth quarter with six points.
Larimore has been one of the top scorers in KMAC this season, and stood out with 21 points to lead all scorers. She had four 3-pointers in the win. Sheppard also hit double figures with 11 points and Kenlee Fairall scored seven points, including a three.
Delaware Christian only had three players score in the game, led by Addy Beard with 20 points.
Mount Gilead 55, Fredericktown 32
Mount Gilead (12-5, 7-3) took a big first-half lead over Fredericktown (4-13, 1-9) and never looked back on their way to a 55-32 win over their KMAC rival on Jan. 28.
With the game tied at 2-2 in the first quarter, Madilyn Elson sank a three to make it a 5-2 lead for Mount Gilead with 6:10 left in the first. With about 3:45 left in the quarter, Ava Baker hit a three of her own to put the Indians up 9-5. Mount Gilead recovered a loose ball and got it to Elson for a three to take a 12-5 lead with 2:10 left.
In the second quarter, Mount Gilead had a commanding 21-7 lead when Grace Shipman came away with a steal and then hit a shot from the baseline to increase the lead to 16 with 3:54 left. With less than a minute left in the half, Lydia Stalnaker came away with a steal and took it to the basket for a fast break layup, putting the score at 28-11 in favor of Mount Gilead.
The Indians were up big in the third quarter and widened the gap on a Candace Millisor three to take a 31-15 lead. Elson then hit a fast break layup toward the end of the quarter to go up 46-21.
In the fourth quarter, Baker hit her second three of the night to make it a 53-26 game. With 2:48 on the clock, Baker followed up with a fast break layup off a steal to go up 55-26. The Freddies would end the game on a 7-0 run, but it was too little, too late to mount a comeback.
East Knox 38, Cardington-Lincoln 27
Ella Divan started off hot for East Knox (11-5, 6-3) and never let up as the game’s high scorer in a 38-27 upset victory over KMAC leading Cardington-Lincoln (9-9, 7-4).
East Knox led 10-7 after one quarter, with Divan scoring eight points in the opening frame. Sydney Opfer hit a pair of free throws for East Knox (EK). The Pirates were led by three points from Lydia Hess. Samantha Miller and Abigail Hardwick each had steals for Cardington-Lincoln (C-L) in the first quarter, while Miller added a blocked shot.
Cardington-Lincoln turned things around in the second quarter with an 8-4 advantage to take a 15-14 halftime lead. Divan scored all four points for the Bulldogs. Madison Caulkins led the Pirates with four points and Hess, Genevieve Longsdorf and Hardwick each had a steal in the second quarter for C-L.
In the third quarter, East Knox regained the lead, which they would hold the rest of the game. The 'Dogs had a 10-7 advantage, led by Molly Totten's four points. Samantha Spires had three points for Cardington-Lincoln.
The Bulldogs finished the game strong, scoring 14 points and holding Cardington-Lincoln to five points. Natalie Smith had six points, hitting all of her free throws in the quarter. Totten added five points and Divan hit three free throws down the stretch.
Divan led all scorers with 18 points to help secure the big win for the Bulldogs. Totten had nine points and Smith had six points.
The Pirates were led by Caulkins with 11 points. Spires and Hess each had five points for Cardington-Lincoln.
Coach Mandy Todd was happy with the play she got out of Divan, saying that she has been improving consistently with this game, a major indicator of her hard work. She praised the entire Bulldog squad for the big win over a tough Cardington-Lincoln squad.
“This was a big win for us,” Todd said. “Cardington has been at the top of the KMAC this year, but we knew we could play with them. The girls were focused and played hard as a team. Our defense is what drives our offense and we knew if we could rebound well and limit turnovers, we could come out on top. Our girls did just that today along with bringing that Lady Bulldog grit.”
Danville 56, Northmor 43
Ella Proper was clutch down the stretch for Danville (7-9, 5-6) in a 56-43 come-from-behind upset win over KMAC rival Northmor (9-6, 7-4) on Jan. 28.
Danville had a 6-5 lead early in the first quarter, but Lauren Johnson drilled a three to give Northmor a two-point advantage. Proper and Kylie Hess each had threes in the quarter for Danville. Johnson had five points and a steal in the quarter for the Lady Knights, and Emilee Jordan had a steal.
With 7:35 left in the second quarter, Northmor took a 12-8 lead with a wide-open corner three by Madison Simpson. As time was winding down, Danville was up 25-21, but Johnson came through with a clutch three to cut the lead to one at halftime. Jaylyn Workman scored six points and Proper had five points. Northmor was led by Johnson's and Simpson’s five points each.
Danville was up 25-24 to start the third, but Northmor regained the lead going up 27-25 on a Riley Johnson 3-pointer. With 2:45 left in the quarter, it was a 32-32 game when Johnson hit a three to break the tie and put Northmor up 35-32. With two minutes left, Riley Johnson had a steal to stop a scoring chance by the Blue Devils. Simpson had a block in the quarter for the Golden Knights. Riley Johnson scored eight points, including a pair of threes. Proper had five points for Danville, including a three. Northmor had a 15-4 advantage in the quarter and was leading 39-34 going into the final frame.
The Blue Devils found their footing in the fourth and were able to widen the gap to 52-39, but with a minute left, Lauren Johnson came away with a steal. Shelby Cooper made it a 56-43 game on a steal and fast break layup, but the Blue Devils were able to maintain the advantage for a 13-point victory. Proper hit a three and made all four of her free throws. Broegan Staats had six points.
Leading the Blue Devils was Proper with 20 points. She had four threes and was 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. She also had five boards, four steals and an assist. Workman had eight points, seven boards, three steals and two assists. Staats also had eight points to go with two assists, one board and one steal. Addison Mickley had eight points, three boards, one steal and one assist.
Northmor was led by Riley Johnson, who had 17 points, including three from downtown. Lauren Johnson had 10 points, with two 3-pointers. Simpson added nine points.
