Staff writer
The Centre High School girls basketball team advanced to the finals of the Centre Invitational Tournament Saturday after defeating White City Jan. 18 in the first round and Hope on Friday in the semifinals. They were defeated by Solomon, 38-27, to finish in second place.
The highlight of the week was Friday’s 1-point victory over Hope. It was the lowest scoring game of the tournament and probably one of the lowest scoring games of all time. Centre won, 21-20.
In a highly defensive match-up, the Lady Lions led the Lady Cougars 6-2 after one quarter and 14-7 at halftime.
Genesis Rudolph sank a 3-point shot, Allison Shields scored a field goal, and Ellie Miller made a free throw to give Centre 6 more points in the third quarter. Hope was held to 3 points, closing the gap to 4, 17-13.
The fourth quarter was one of almost-continuous free throw attempts, mostly by the Lady Cougars. With 2 minutes remaining, Shields made two free throws to put Centre within 1 point, 19-18. Miller followed with another free throw to tie the game.
The game was tied at 20-20 when Cacey Simons made the winning point on a free throw four seconds before time ran out, and Miller blocked a Hope pass to seal the victory.
Reflecting the final score, it took just 7 points for Shields to be the leading scorer. Svoboda, Rudolph, and Miller scored 3 points each, Anna Weber and Kassebaum 2 points each, and Simons 1.
Solomon
Faced Saturday with an aggressive Solomon team, the Lady Cougars seemed intimidated and had a difficult time scoring. They were defeated, 38-27, to finish in second place.
Miller and Simons scored all of Centre’s first-quarter points, making two free throws each. Solomon scored 9 points.
Solomon led 21-8 at halftime. The Lady Cougars picked up their play in the second half, outscoring Solomon 19-17 including a last-second 3-point shot by Kassebaum. Nevertheless, they walked away with an 11-point loss and a second-place finish.
No Centre players scored in double figures. Simons scored 8 points, Bryanna Svoboda 5, Miller 4, Allison Shields and Kassebaum 3 each, and Genesis Rudolph 2.
White City
Centre defeated White City easily, 45-31, in the first round. They led by just 2 points, 18-16, at halftime but outscored the Lady Huskies 27-15 in the second half to win by 14 points.
Simons had a good night. She scored 18 points, followed by Shields with 12. Other scorers were Svoboda 6, Rudolph 5, and Kassebaum and Miller 2 each.