Danville 56, Highland 30
Danville (8-9, 5-6) came out on fire offensively and defensively against Highland (2-15, 1-10) on Jan. 31, with Kylee Hess leading the scoring charge and controlling the boards in a 56-30 win.
The Blue Devils went up 12-2 in the first quarter, led by Jaylyn Smith’s five points including a three. Highland’s offense woke up in the second quarter with 11 points, but Danville added 12 to make it a 24-13 game at halftime.
Danville dominated the third quarter 15-7 and finished out the game with a 17-10 advantage to take a strong home win. Hess scored six points down the stretch to lead the Blue Devils.
Hess finished with 14 points to lead all scorers, and gathered eight rebounds while dishing out one assist. Smith also hit double figures with 12 points to go with three boards, two steals and an assist.
Highland was led by Kameron Stover’s 10 points.
Danville coach Matt Proper said he was happy with the team’s defense and the way they were able to put together a complete game against a tough Fighting Scots squad.
“Our team put together an all-around, solid defensive game,” Proper said. “During the second half, our transition game came alive and we were able to pull away from a scrappy Highland squad.”
Centerburg 47, Cardington-Lincoln 41
Centerburg (8-10, 3-7) and Cardington-Lincoln (10-7, 8-3) battled back and forth on Feb. 1, but the duo of Kennedi Glenn and Kayla Larimore was able to make a strong second-half push and secure a 47-41 win for the Trojans.
Cardington-Lincoln went on a 7-0 run to start the game highlighted by a steal from Lydia Hess, who dished it to Samantha Spires for a fast-break layup. The Pirates were up 14-10 at the end of the first quarter. Spires had five points and three steals and Madison Caulkins had a block and four points for the Pirates.
In the second quarter, Centerburg had a 15-11 advantage and made it a 25-25 game at the half. In the third quarter, Centerburg widened the gap with a 12-8 run. Centerburg finished out the game with a 10-8 fourth led by Larimore’s six points.
Glenn was the top scorer for the Trojans with 13 points, including four from downtown. Larimore had 11 points and went 7-for-9 from the free-throw line.
Cardington-Lincoln was led by Abigail Hardwick with 15 points.
Fredericktown 46, Northmor 34
Fredericktown (6-13, 2-9) got another big scoring night out of Cally Carpenter, who helped propel the Freddies to a 46-34 win over KMAC rival Northmor (9-7, 8-3) on Feb. 1.
Northmor led 8-7 after one quarter with Lauren Johnson hitting a three for the Golden Knights. Carpenter had four points in the quarter for Fredericktown. In the second quarter, Fredericktown had a 6-5 advantage and it was tied 13-13 at the half.
In the third quarter, Fredericktown had a 12-9 advantage led by five points from Grace Sipes. Madison Simpson had a big quarter for Northmor with seven points.
Fredericktown finished the game strong with a 21-12 fourth, led by Carpenter, who scored eight points and made all six of her free throws. Jill Bouton had eight points, including a pair of threes. Johnson scored nine points with a 3-pointer for Northmor.
Carpenter led all scorers with 18 points for the Freddies. Bouton scored 11 points and Sipes had 10 points.
Northmor was led by Simpson’s 15 points and Johnson's 12 points.
“The first half was low-scoring, but we were able to open things up in the second half,” Fredericktown coach Tim Maceyko said. “Our 1-3-1 zone was creating problems for them and then our transition offense got going. The two fed off each other and the girls did some really good things down the stretch. We’re seeing great team play this week.”
“You are seeing what this team is capable of doing now that we’ve got a healthy roster," Maceyko said. "I just wish there was more season left.”
Utica 57, Licking Heights 34
Utica (7-11, 2-7) controlled the glass and played strong defense in a big 57-34 win over Licking Heights (3-17, 1-12) on Feb. 1.
At the beginning of the first quarter, Callie Baker leaped for a big block under the basket followed quickly by a steal from Makena Wilson.
In the second quarter, Utica was up 7-3 and Wilson hustled for a loose ball for another steal. Utica was cruising in the quarter, going up 22-5, highlighted by a steal and fast-break score by Emily Meyers.
Utica continued to dominate the game, going up 40-15 in the third quarter, and then 45-24 on a 3-pointer from Baker. Utica continued their onslaught the rest of the way and were able to come away with a 23-point victory.
