Centerburg 49, North Union 48
Colton Martin of Centerburg (13-7, 9-3) and Max Parish of North Union (9-11, 4-5) battled it out all game, and while the Wildcats made a comeback effort in the fourth, the Trojans were able to hold on for a 49-48 win on Feb. 7.
In the first quarter, the Trojans scored first with a steal by Isaiah Sule leading to a fast-break layup by Martin. The game was tied 6-6 and Martin came away with a steal of his own. With 1:30 left in the half, Martin stole a pass when the team was playing a full-court press defense. He then dished it out to Grayson Reynolds, who was waiting behind the arc, and Reynolds drilled a three to put the Trojans up 10-8. North Union finished the quarter strong, however, and the Trojans found themselves down 14-12 at the end of one frame.
Both teams scored 14 points in the second quarter, making it a 28-26 game in favor of North Union at halftime. Martin put up 10 points in the quarter. Centerburg's Martin and North Union's Parish were putting on a show in the first half, with Parish scoring 14 and Martin netting 12 points to lead their respective teams.
In the third quarter, Sule sank a three to put Centerburg up 33-28. Centerburg put up 20 points in the third and allowed 10, taking a 46-38 lead going into the fourth. Martin scored eight points, while Reynolds and Sule each had five points with a 3-pointer each. Jack Lawrence recorded a steal in the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Trojans struggled to score, and had only three points – all on free throws. They allowed 10 points down the stretch, but Centerburg was able to hold on for a one-point win. Martin had a key steal in the quarter and hit a pair of free throws down the stretch.
“It was a very competitive game,” Centerburg coach John Marhefka said. “North Union is very scrappy and relentless in their effort. Max Parish and Colton Martin dueled it out. Each scored 22 points. We had the lead and made some mistakes offensively late in the game, but held on to squeak it out. It was a good game to prepare for the (OHSAA) tournament.”
Martin led the Trojans with 22 points and was 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Reynolds put up 11 points and hit a pair of threes. Sule had seven points and Harris added six.
Mount Vernon 44, Marion Harding 39
Mount Vernon (7-12, 4-9) snapped a five-game losing streak with a 44-39 victory over a tough Marion Harding squad (14-6, 9-3) on Feb. 7.
Mount Vernon opened the game on a 5-0 run and cruised into the second quarter. With 3:30 left in the second, Mount Vernon had an 18-10 lead, and then went on a 5-0 run to make it a 23-10 game.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, the Yellow Jackets held a 29-18 lead, but the Marion Harding squad hung tight, hitting clutch threes to stay within reach. With 1:30 left, the lead was cut to only three at 29-26.
Then in the fourth quarter, Mount Vernon distanced themselves a bit, up 38-29 with 6:30 to go, but key threes and solid defense from Harding kept the game tight. It was a 41-37 game with 1:50 left, but the Yellow Jackets were able to hold on for a big win.
Pleasant 72, Northmor 53
Grant Bentley continued lighting up the scoreboard for Northmor (12-8, 8-4), but the Golden Knights trailed Pleasant (9-10, 6-7) big early and never recovered in a 72-53 loss on Feb. 7.
In the first quarter, Pleasant was up 2-0 when Jax Wenger came away with a steal. Pleasant put three more points on the board, but Bentley stopped the run with a three to make it a 5-3 game. Pleasant dominated the quarter 24-11 despite seven early points by Bentley.
It didn’t get much easier in the second quarter for Northmor, as they were outscored 19-12, making the score 43-23 at the half. Bentley had five points and a steal for the Golden Knights, while Wenger hit a three and Caleb Schnuerer recorded a blocked shot and a bucket.
Northmor had a solid third quarter, outscoring Pleasant 19-15, with Bentley putting up seven points and a steal to lead the Knights. Hunter Fulk had four points and a steal, while Max Lower had four points and a sweet assist to Bentley on a fast-break play.
Pleasant finished off the game strong, with a 14-11 advantage to secure the 19-point victory. Wenger led with five points in the quarter and Bentley scored four, including a hit from downtown.
Bentley finished with a game-high 23 points, including three from deep. He also had two boards and three steals. Wenger scored 12 points with a pair of threes, to go with three rebounds, two steals and an assist. Lower finished with eight points, three rebounds, three assists and a steal. Schnuerer had four points, five boards, one assist and one block.
Elgin 71, Mount Gilead 43
Mount Gilead (12-8, 8-4) had a tough time making their shots against Elgin (11-8, 5-3), and while Matthew Bland and Aaron Gannon both hit double figures in scoring, the Indians suffered a 71-43 loss on Feb. 7.
In the first quarter, the Comets were up 4-3 and threatening to increase their lead when Gannon swatted a shot away near the basket. Elgin increased their lead to 14-5, but Rowan Fitzpatrick decreased the deficit to six points on a 3-pointer, ending the quarter 14-8 in favor of the Comets.
In the second quarter, Bland sank a three to make it a 20-13 game. Later in the quarter with the Comets leading 27-15, Fitzpatrick hit a three to make it a nine-point game. Elgin outscored Mount Gilead 22-14 and took a 36-22 lead into halftime.
Defense took over in the third, with Elgin taking a 9-6 advantage. Bland had a steal in the quarter for Mount Gilead.
Elgin finished out with a 26-15 run in the fourth to take an easy win over the Indians. Bland had a pair of steals and a fast-break layup in the final quarter. Gannon also hit a three, and had a block and a steal for the Indians. Hayden Somerlot had a three in the fourth quarter, as well.
Bland finished with 13 points, three steals and an assist to lead the way for the Indians. Gannon scored 10 points and snagged eight rebounds, one steal and a pair of blocks. Gannon currently leads the conference in blocks with 2.0 per game and Bland is leading KMAC in scoring at just under 22 points per game. Carter Kennon scored six points and dished out three assists, while grabbing one board. Fitzpatrick hit a pair of threes for six points, and had a rebound.
Columbus Academy 54, Fredericktown 35
Fredericktown (14-7, 12-0) wasn’t able to keep up with Columbus Academy (16-2, 8-2) on Feb. 7, falling 54-35.
In the first quarter, Fredericktown went up 3-2 on a corner three by Trevor Bellman. Later in the quarter, they were down by one when Bellman hit another three from the corner to put the Freddies up 10-8. Kaid Carpenter followed with a blocked shot, but it was recovered by Columbus Academy, who put it in for a layup. With the score 10-10, Carpenter drained a long three to give Fredericktown a 13-10 lead.
Fast-forward to the third quarter and Columbus Academy was up 26-22, but Carpenter kept the Freddies in the game with another three to make the score 26-25. He also had a steal in the quarter. With 2:50 on the clock, Columbus Academy was up 34-28 when Carpenter sank another three to cut the lead to three. He followed with a steal on the next Columbus Academy possession.
In the fourth quarter, Columbus Academy was up 42-31 and threatening to score when Dom Thompson swatted away an attempted layup. Carpenter followed with two blocks soon after, but the Freddies fell by 19.
