Centerburg 52, Marion Pleasant 49
Centerburg (12-6, 9-2) trailed by 11 at the half, but were able to make adjustments in the second half and put up a dominant fourth quarter to beat Marion Pleasant (7-8, 5-6) 52-49 for their fifth straight win on Jan. 31.
The Presidents started the game with an early 19-6 lead, putting the Trojans in an early hole. At the end of the first half, it was a 30-19 game in favor of Marion Pleasant.
Centerburg Coach John Marhefka was happy with the way the team made a second-half adjustment, and picked up their defense, to help secure the win.
“Pleasant started out very hot using the shooting skills we knew they had,” Marhefka said. “We needed to get to them on the perimeter and did not quite get there. We were able to adjust a little in the second half and our defensive intensity and fundamentals picked up. We were able to gain momentum and Isaiah Sule and Trevin Harris played well on the defensive end."
Trevin Harris was the top scorer with 16 points. Colton Martin had 15 points with a 3-pointer. Grayson Reynolds had 13 points, with 11 coming in the second half.
Horizon Science Academy 75, East Knox 52
The struggles continued for East Knox (2-14, 0-10) against Horizon Science Academy (10-9, 1-2), and despite getting three players into double figures, the Bulldogs fell 75-52 for their ninth straight loss on Jan. 31.
The Hawks started off with a 25-16 advantage, but EK's Carter Wesney kept the game within single digits with a trio of 3-pointers.
Wesney led East Knox with 16 points, including four from downtown. Corbin Poff and Bryer Korosec each scored 10 points.
Fredericktown 66, Elgin 51
Led by Brady Lester's 18 points, Fredericktown (13-6, 11-0) continued to play well as the regular season nears the end. Starting off hot, the Freddies took a 66-51 win over Elgin (10-7, 5-2) on Jan. 31.
The Freddies started the game on a 6-0 run, highlighted by a steal and a coast-to-coast layup scored by Lester with 6:15 on the clock. With 5:34 left in the first quarter, Kaid Carpenter put Fredericktown up 9-3 on a 3-pointer from the top of the arc. On the next possession, Lester came away with a steal near the basket to stop an Elgin scoring chance. Then with 2:15 left in the quarter, Trevor Bellman put the Freddies up 16-5 on the way to an 18-13 first quarter lead.
“Great team win against a solid Elgin team,” said Fredericktown Coach Derek Dibling. “Players were really locked in defensively and they did a great job of getting to their spots offensively to put themselves or their teammates in a position to score. The team is really peaking at the right time of year and amping it up as we approach tournament time.”
Lester was the top scorer with 18 points on 8-for-14 shooting. He had seven boards and two steals. Teegan Ruhl had 12 points and eight rebounds. Also in double figures was Ben Mast with 10 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting along with six boards, four assists and a steal. Carpenter just missed a double-double with nine points, 10 boards and three assists.
Northmor 57, Wynford 53
Northmor (11-7, 8-4) had a great shooting night from Jax Wenger in a 57-53 win over Wynford on Jan. 31.
Wynford was up 10-5 in the first quarter, but Caleb Schnuerer hit a three to make it a two-point game with 3:45 on the clock. With 1:15 left in the quarter, Isaac Black sank a three from the corner to make it a 16-13 game.
Wenger led the Golden Knights with 19 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Grant Bentley added 15 points and added four boards. Black scored eight points and had three boards and two assists. Max Lower scored four points and did a great job on the boards with 10 rebounds to go with two assists and a block.
“One of our best wins of the season,” said Northmor basketball Coach Blade Tackett. “We are really starting to play our best basketball at the right time. Really proud of how our guys have bought in to knowing our scouting reports and really prepping for a team and their tendencies. Wynford is a very good basketball team with some impressive wins on their resume. As we wind down the season, it is games like last night that are helping us prep for the tournament. We will have a few more tough ones like that, so we are really focused on continuing to get better each game so we are at our peak come the end of February.”
