Staff writer
Greg Wyatt, coach of the Centre High School boys basketball team, was happy with the way his team played Friday against Canton-Galva. They won overwhelmingly, 62-34.
The victory was their second of the season after defeating Elyria Christian Dec. 14, 55-50. Both games were played at home.
“We played a good four quarters of basketball, especially the second half,” Wyatt said after Friday’s game. “We defended well and moved the ball on offense, getting good looks to score. This was a good win going into break.”
The Eagles never did have the lead in the game, but they tied it, 14-14, at the beginning of the second quarter. From then on, the game belonged to the Cougars.
Centre led, 24-19, at halftime. Things went badly for Canton-Galva in the second half. The Eagles scored 15 points compared with 38 by Centre.
Three Cougars scored in double figures: Tanner Brunner, 19; Rustyn Kerbs, 18, including three 3-pointers; and Brian Burhoop, 13, including two 3-pointers. Brunner made 7-of-10 free throws.
Burhoop led at the boards with 16 rebounds, followed by Brunner with 9. Brunner had 6 steals, and he and Burhoop provided 3 assists each. Adam Matz had 7 assists and 5 rebounds.
The junior varsity defeated Canton-Galva, 51-40. Kyle Methvin led scoring with 19 points, followed by Justin Deines with 13.
Elyria
Good free-throw shooting may have made the difference in the victory over Elyria.
Centre’s first 5 points came from free throws by Brunner and Kerbs. Matz and Kerbs each made 3-point shots and Hageberg made three free throws to give Centre a 14-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Elyria went on a spree in the second quarter, outscoring Centre 18-6 for a 27-20 halftime lead.
Kerbs started the turnaround for the Cougars in the third quarter when he stole the ball for a layup. That was followed by two 3-point shots by Kerbs, one by Klenda, and one by Burhoop, with a few field goals and free throws thrown in. Centre led, 40-36, at the end of the quarter.
Centre led by just three points with half a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, but Burhoop was fouled and scored two free throws to give the Cougars a 5-point victory.
The team made 16-of-56 field goal attempts and was 16-of-21 from the free-throw line. They had 25 turnovers.
Kerbs had a good game with 19 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, and 4 assists. Burhoop had 10 points and 9 rebounds, and Brunner had 10 points and 8 rebounds.
The junior varsity defeated Elyria, 57-46. Justin Deines scored 25 points including seven field goals and 11-of-16 free throws. James Wyatt led at the boards with 9 rebounds, followed by Grant Srajer and Kyle Methvin with 7 each.
The Cougars now have an overall record of 2-4.