Staff writer
In Centre High School’s winter homecoming game Friday against Goessel, the Bluebirds came out on top, 65-56.
It was a hard-fought contest. After a 3-3 tie in the opening minutes on a 3-pointer by Goessel’s Shane Goertzen and a field goal by Kyle Methvin and free throw by Justin Deines, the Cougars fell behind. A 9-point run by the Bluebirds gave them a 12-3 lead.
Centre’s scoring improved with baskets by Deines and Kordell Harding, and the Cougars trailed, 20-15, at the end of the quarter.
In the second quarter, Grant Srajer and Shane Methvin made 3-point shots, but Goessel increased its lead to 8 points, 32-24, by halftime.
The Cougars got behind by as much as 14 points in the third quarter, but good free-throw shooting kept them in the game.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, a 3-pointer by James Wyatt and a field goal by Srajer closed the gap to 3 points, 51-48.
As the game wound down, the Cougars were forced to foul, and the Bluebirds proved accurate at the free-throw line, scoring 14 points from the line. Free throws and a 3-pointer by Deines near the end of the game put Centre back within 6 points, but that basket was matched by 3 final free throws by Goessel, resulting in a 9-point loss.
The team shot 33 percent from the field and completed 16-of-22 free-throw attempts.
Deines scored 21 points, followed by Harding with 12. Ty Simons scored 6 points; Srajer and Shane Methvin, 5 each; Kyle Methvin, 4; and Wyatt, 3.
Deines had 7 rebounds and Hageberg 6. Simons and Deines each provided 3 assists. Wyatt had 3 steals.
Solomon
The Solomon Bombers destroyed the Cougars Jan. 31in a 64-45 victory at Centre High School.
Centre scored competitively in the second and fourth quarters, but wilted in the other two quarters, leading to the defeat.
Solomon took an 18-8 lead after the first quarter and led by 9 points at halftime.
Another 8-point quarter in the third quarter propelled the Bombers to a 17-point lead. A 13-14 fourth quarter resulted in an 18-point victory for Solomon.
The team made about 32 percent of its field goals. Five Cougars scored from beyond the arc, but none scored in double digits. Simons led with 9 points. Other scorers were Harding, 6, including 4 free throws; Kyle Methvin and Cory Brunzell, 5 each; Deines and Shane Methvin, 4 each; and Srajer, Kodey Johnson, Wyatt, and Hageberg, 4 each.
Hageberg had 5 rebounds, followed by Deines, Harding, and Kyle Methvin, with 4 each. Simons provided 4 assists.