The Lady Trojans of Centerburg (4-2, 3-1) had a pair conference wins last week to put them at the number two spot in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference, which included an important win over last year's KMAC champion Mount Gilead (4-3, 2-1).
The Trojans started off the week with a 45-35 win over the the defending KMAC champs. They led from the start and never looked back. Centerburg led 17-7 after one quarter and held a 26-17 lead at halftime. In the third quarter the Trojans had a 9-6 advantage and while Mount Gilead outscored Centerburg 12-10 in the fourth, the Centerburg was able to hold on for a 10 point win.
Kayla Larimore, who is the top point scorer in the conference in the young season, led the charge with 19 points to go with seven rebounds. Kennedi Glenn put up 12 points in the win, all on four three pointers. Tiara Sheppard and Kenlee Fairall each scored six points in the big win for Centerburg.
“We knew this was going to be a battle,” said Centerburg Coach Bill Abner. “Mount Gilead is very tough defensively. We told the girls that they were going to pack the paint and make it extremely tough for us to get it inside to Kayla and Tiara. We knew we had to make some outside shots to loosen things up a bit and Kennedi knocking down four first half threes was huge. We all know she can shoot it and Kennedi has the green light when she's open.”
Abner said that Larimore had to be patient because of how the Indians defended them. While her 19 points were huge, it was her efficiency that was notable. She was 6-for-9 from the floor and 6-for-9 from the free throw line. Abner added that Sheppard and Fairall also made some big free throws to help secure the win.
Mount Gilead’s Danielle Pohlkotte had 10 points, including a big three in the second quarter to stop a surging Trojan squad. She had five rebounds and a steal, as well. Greer Simpson tallied eight points, four rebounds and three steals. Faith White had six points, three boards, one assist and one steal. Aubrey Thomas had six points, three rebounds, three steals and four assists.
The Trojans shot 39% from the field, and 40% from deep. Mount Gilead shot 37% and 30% from three. Each team had 10 assists and 22 boards, while Centerburg led 13-12 in steals and 1-0 in blocks. Free throws were a difference maker in the game. While Mount Gilead was efficient at 6-for-7, Centerburg was able to get to the charity stripe more often, and went 13-for-19.
Defense was a huge factor, as well. Mount Gilead had 22 turnovers and Centerburg turned it over 19 times.
“We played much better defensively tonight than we did Saturday at Danville,” Coach Abner said referring to a loss in double overtime to the KMAC leading Blue Devils. “We knew going in that Mt. Gilead is a very good three-point shooting team with good scoring balance, a great rebounding team and they don't miss free throws. Holding them to 3-for-10 from behind the arc, only seven free throw attempts, and pretty much being even on the boards was crucial tonight. This was a big win for us.”
On Dec. 16 the Trojans hosted East Knox (3-4, 1-2) and Larimore was the catalyst in the win with a 24 point showing in a 61-30 blowout.
“We have been talking all season about what we could look like if we put an entire game together,” Abner said. “We have a habit of playing well then taking a quarter off, and we challenged the girls to play a complete game. We came very close to doing that tonight. We got off to a great start and we kept the energy going throughout the game. Really proud of the kids.”
Sheppard was also vital in the win, nearly hitting a double-double with a line of 15 points and nine boards. Glenn scored eight points, Evie Stowe had six points and five assists, and Fairall scored five points and recorded five steals.
The Bulldogs were led by Jasmine Smith with seven points. Sydney Opfer scored six points and Molly Totten had five points.
The Trojans went 22-for-34 in two point range. Turnovers were a major factor, as well. East Knox had 28 turnovers and Centerburg got 20 points off of them.
“East Knox has been playing well, especially on the defensive end,” said Abner. “They are a great rebounding team so we knew we had to take advantage when we had chances to score. Our defense fuels our offense so when we can cause nearly 30 turnovers, and then get points off of those, we have a chance to win.”
Larimore has been a force in the KMAC this season, as she is currently the top ranked scorer at 18.8 points per game. She is in the top 10 in assists (4th at 3.6 per game) and steals (tied for seventh at 2.4 per game), as well.
The Trojans are now second in KMAC behind Danville, who is also 3-1 in conference play but has a 5-2 overall record.
This week the Lady Trojans have an away game against Licking Valley (5-3, 1-2) on Dec. 20 at 7:15 p.m.
