Staff writer
The Centre High School boys’ basketball team is off to a winning start in the regular season. Playing on the road, the Cougars won both of their games last week, defeating Elyria Christian Dec. 13, 64-54, and Canton-Galva Friday, 41-27.
Justin Deines was Centre’s top scorer in both games, scoring 25 points at Elyria and 18 points at Canton.
At Canton, Deines scored 7 points in the first quarter including a 3-pointer. With three free throws by Grant Srajer, Centre led, 10-7.
Ty Simons nailed a 3-pointer and made two free throws and Trevor Hageberg made a field goal in the second quarter, which, together with 3 points by Deines, gave Centre a 20-12 halftime lead.
Canton-Galva outscored Centre, 12-8, in the third quarter but scored only 3 points in the final quarter compared to 13 by Centre. James Wyatt and Deines each made a 3-point shot. Simons made four free throws, and Deines added three.
The result was a 14-point victory for the Cougars. Centre made just 12-of-50 field goals but completed 13-of-16 free throws. The team had 13 steals.
In addition to being the top scorer, Deines also led in rebounds — three offensive and four defensive — and had four steals. Wyatt had two offensive and six defensive rebounds. Other rebounders were Simons, 1-1; Grant Srajer, 0-1; Kordell Harding, 1-4; Shane Methvin, 1-2; Kyle Methvin, 1-1; and Hageberg, 1-3. Srajer and Harding had three steals each. Simons provided three assists.
Elyria Christian
At Elyria Christian, Deines scored a career-high 25 points. He made two 3-point baskets plus a field goal in the first quarter, helping Centre to a 13-9 point lead. He added another 3-pointer, two field goals, and a free throw in the second quarter, which, along with two field goals by Hageberg, gave, Centre a 25-17 halftime lead.
The game got tighter in the second half as Elyria improved its scoring. Nevertheless, the Cougars outscored Elyria in the third quarter, 23-19, to increase their lead.
Harding made one 3-point shot, one field goal, and three free throws. Shane Methvin also had a 3-pointer and a field goal. Hageberg and Deines contributed additional field goals, and Simons and Kyle Methvin each made two free throws. Centre led, 48-36, after three quarters.
Twelve of Centre’s 16 points in the fourth quarter were scored on free throws by Simons, Srajer, Deines, and Harding. Elyria outscored Centre, 18-16, but the Cougars walked away with a 10-point victory.
Beside Deines, Harding also scored in double digits, with 11 points. Hageberg scored 9 points, Shane Methvin 7, Simons 6, Srajer 4, and Kyle Methvin 2.
Wyatt was the leading rebounder, with two offensively and six defensively. Harding had six rebounds. Deines had five steals and Srajer provided seven assists.
Coach Greg Wyatt said the team is improving but needs to work on defense and rebounding as well as the patience to work for good shots.