For the second straight season, Fredericktown (13-5, 10-2) clinched a Knox Morrow Athletic Conference (KMAC) title after winning their eighth straight game in a 57-52 victory over Centerburg (8-11, 6-6) on Feb. 10.
The win put the Freddies in a tie for the KMAC lead with Northmor, who Fredericktown defeated the previous game to help secure this share of the title.
The game was tied 2-2 in the first quarter and Brode Davis showed his defensive skills with a rejection on a jump shot from around the foul line. Centerburg recovered and went up 4-2 after Alex Brown and tossed it down court to Trevin Harris for a fast break layup. At the end of one, Centerburg had a 14-10 lead.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Trevor Bellman saved a fast break that would have put the Freddies down by six, as he swooped in from behind and stole the ball. After a Bennett Hill three for the Trojans, Gavin Toombs responded with a three of his own to make it a 17-13 game with 7:20 left.
Fredericktown went on to score the next six points to take a 19-17 lead, and while Centerburg tried to tie it up on a layup, Toombs had something to say about that with a huge block near the rim. Fredericktown was up 22-17, but Centerburg’s Jayden Joiner drilled a three to make it a two point game. Fredericktown then took a 25-20 lead on a Rinehart three with 2:35 left in the half, but Isaiah Sule quickly responded for the Trojans with a three of his own to make it a two point game. With just under two minutes left, Toombs drilled a three to put Fredericktown up 28-23. At halftime, the Freddies had a 28-27 lead in what was a tightly contested battle.
The fight continued into the third quarter, with Centerburg’s Harris nailing a three to go up 30-28. Fredericktown scored the next three points, but Harris made it a one point game on a fast break layup. The game was tied 39-39 with 30 seconds on the clock, and Harris swatted away what would have been the go ahead layup for Fredericktown. It was a 41-41 game going into the final frame.
Centerburg had a 46-45 lead in the fourth quarter with 3:15 left after Sule scored on a fast break. The Freddies went up 52-49, but Harris scored on another fast break play after a steal to make it a one point game with 1:50 left. However, the Freddies would go on a 5-1 run the rest of the way and wrap up the big conference clinching win.
“I was really proud how our guys adjusted to the pressure and found ways to get to the rim and free throw line late,” Coach Derek Dibling said. “We kept our poise and had enough juice left to hold off a tough Centerburg team.”
The Freddies had a great night shooting the ball at 54.3%, and while they shot the three sparingly at 3-for-8, they dominated most areas of the game. Centerburg shot 31.3% and were only 4-for-21 from deep. The Freddies had a 40-25 rebounding advantage and also led 10-8 in assists and 2-0 in blocks. Centerburg had a 14-4 steals advantage, forcing 24 turnovers that they turned into 19 points.
Leading the Freddies was Toombs with 22 points on an efficient 7-for-9 night. He was 2-for-3 from three, as well. Toombs dominated the glass with 14 defensive rebounds and 16 total boards. Toombs also had three assists and a block.
Sipes scored 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting, while tallying nine boards, an assist and a steal. Carson Rinehart had 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
“We had a balanced scoring attack led by Toombs, Sipes, and Rinehart,” Dibling said.
Centerburg was led by Harris’s 22 points. He also had five rebounds, five steals and an assist. Sule and Hill each had seven points, and Sule was outstanding on defense with four steals and three deflections.
