Centre girls come from behind to win first game
Centre High School girls' basketball team won their first game Dec. 7 in the opening round of the pre-season tournament at Herington by defeating Herington, 42-40.
Senior Brianne Stahlecker gave Centre an opening boost with a three-point basket in the team's first possession. They led 8-4 at the end of the first quarter.
However, Herington opened the second quarter with seven unanswered points on three field goals and a free throw. Scoring just eight points compared to 19 by Herington, the Lady Cougars were down 23-16 at halftime.
They continued to trail most of the third quarter, but a full-court press and several steals allowed them to go ahead by one point, 27-26, with two minutes to play in the quarter. They trailed by one point, 28-29, at the end of the quarter.
The score remained close in the fourth quarter and, except for a 33-33 tie with five minutes remaining, Herington kept the lead until the last minute of the game.
Jackie Klenda made two free throws and a field goal to tie the game, 38-38. Stahlecker followed with a three-pointer, and Selena Seifert made a free-throw with 18 seconds remaining, to give Centre a four-point lead.
Herington made a last-second basket, but the Lady Cougars walked away with a two-point victory.
Hope
In Friday's game against Hope, the girls fell behind early and lost by a wide margin, 35-59.
Centre's first score came with 2:52 left in the first quarter on a lay-up by Jenna Beneke. After a three-pointer by Klenda, the quarter ended with Hope ahead, 17-7.
The Lady Cougars' scoring improved to 10 points in the second quarter, but Hope scored 16 to lead at halftime, 33-17.
The girls continued to struggle in the third quarter as their scoring remained cold. They added six points compared to Hope's 14 and trailed 23-47 going into the fourth quarter.
Both teams added 12 points in the final quarter, giving Hope a 24-point win.
Klenda was leading scorer for Centre, with nine points.
Northern Heights
The game Saturday against Northern Heights proved to be more competitive. The Lady Cougars had an opportunity to win the game in the last minute but lost, 46-48.
Two free throws by Jill Fenske and a field goal by Alyssa Luna provided the four points scored by Centre in the first quarter. They trailed Heights, 4-9, at the end of the quarter.
The girls picked up their play in the second quarter, outscoring Heights 17-14. They went into the halftime break with a two-point deficit.
A 12-9 scoring advantage in the third quarter gave Heights a 35-30 lead, but the Lady Cougars fought back in the fourth quarter to get within one with less than a minute remaining.
A free throw by Heights and a failed last-second shot by Centre resulted in a two-point loss.
Megan Gutsch and Luna led scoring with nine points each.
After the tournament, the team's record stood at 1-4 overall. They played Tuesday at home against Bennington.
