Staff writer
In games played Friday at Centre, the girls team came away with a 32-25 victory; the boys were defeated, 44-38.
The Lady Cougars won in overtime. The lead changed numerous times during regular play, with Centre trailing, 17-14, at halftime and 22-19 after three quarters.
A field goal by Casey Simons and a 3-point shot by Bryanna Svoboda tied the game at 24-24 in regulation play.
Centre held White City to 1 point in overtime. Simons scored five free throws, Allison Shields made a field goal, and Svoboda also made a free throw to give Centre a 7-point victory.
Simons led scoring with 11 points, followed by Genesis Rudolph, 8, Svoboda, 7, Shields, 4, and Ellie Miller, 2.
The junior varsity also had a winning night, defeating White City, 42-13. They led 20-6 at halftime and built their lead in the second half.
Three girls — Cassandra Dones, Beka Basore, and Amy Makovec — scored 10 points each. Other scorers were Carrie Carlson 5, Rudolph 3, and Brianna Alvarez and Theo Kassebaum 2 each.
In the boys varsity game against White City, the Cougars had the lead until midway through the third quarter. They trailed by 2 points, 28-26, at the end of the quarter.
The lead changed several times in the final quarter. The Huskies took a 38-36 lead with one minute and 45 seconds remaining, and Brian Burhoop tied the game for Centre with an answering field goal.
White City had a 2-point lead when Adam Matz drew a technical on a hard foul during the final seconds. The Huskies added 3 points from the resulting free throws to put the final nail in the coffin.
It was a disappointing loss for the Cougars, who had hoped to remain undefeated in the Wheat State League.
Peabody-Burns game
The Centre High School varsity basketball teams walked away with two victories from games played Jan. 4 at Peabody. The boys won, 51-37, and the girls won, 33-30.
The boys game was closer than the final score indicated. The Warriors had the lead until halfway through the third quarter. The turnaround occurred after a PBHS player was called for a technical.
Centre led, 33-31, at the end of the quarter. Peabody-Burns kept it close in the fourth quarter, remaining within 3 points until the final minute of the game.
The Warriors’ shooting turned cold while a field goal and free throw by Rustyn Kerbs gave Centre a 6-point lead, 43-37. Tanner Brunner made six free throws in the final seconds, resulting in a 14-point victory for the Cougars.
Scorers were Brunner 14, Kerbs and Burhoop 10 each, Matz 7, Tyler Klenda 6, and Trevor Hageberg 4.
After an 8-0 start in the first quarter, the Lady Cougars maintained a healthy lead until the fourth quarter.
The Lady Warriors tied the game, 30-30, with less than two minutes remaining. Fortunately, Centre kept them from scoring again. Simons and Svoboda went to the free-throw line in the final seconds to add the 3 winning points.
Svoboda was the leading scorer with 16. Other scorers were Simons 5, Shields 4, and Anna Weber, Rudolph, Theo Kassebaum, and Ellie Miller 2 each.
The boys junior varsity was defeated by one point, 53-52. The girls junior varsity was defeated, 40-25.