Staff writer
The 3A Southeast of Saline Trojans may have been taken by surprise Friday on their home court when a determined Centre High School squad took to the floor and gave them a run for their money.
The Cougars led, 18-7, by the end of the first quarter, on good rebounding and offensive play by Brian Burhoop, James Weber, and Trevor Troutt, who scored six points each.
SES came back in the second quarter to outscore Centre, 22-16, but still trailed, 34-29, at halftime.
The Trojans went ahead by one point at the end of the third quarter, and after a 17-13 SES scoring advantage in the fourth, the Cougars lost by five points, 65-60.
Centre shot more than 60 percent from the free-throw line, completing 14-of-22 attempts. They shot 48.9 percent from the field and were 2-of-9 from beyond the three-point arc.
Weber led Centre’s scoring with 19 points, followed by Troutt with 16. Ben Krause provided three assists, and Weber, Krause, and Troutt had nine rebounds each.
The junior varsity B-team couldn’t compete with SES and was defeated, 68-35. C-team was defeated, 59-46.
The varsity began pre-season tournament play Tuesday at Herington with a game against Herington.
They will play Hope at 5:30 p.m. Friday and Northern Heights at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.