By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

A large crowd was on hand Friday to watch Centre teams battle Elyria Christian.

Although both teams had good starts, they both ended up losing — the boys, 49-40, and the girls, 40-36.

Dalton Stika led Centre’s scoring, with 22 points. He had three 3-pointers in the first quarter; that, along with baskets by Jensen Riffel, Jacob Hird, and Barrett Smith, put Centre up 16-13.

Lane Methvin scored seven points in the second quarter to keep Centre in the game. Centre led, 23-22 at halftime.

However, Centre’s scoring dropped off in the second half. The Cougars were outscored 27-17 to lose by nine points. They were outrebounded 24-14.

Despite the loss, coach Richard Idleman was happy with the way his team played.

“I’m very proud of how our team battled from start to finish in this game. Considering that the team faced the first-, second-, and third-place teams in the Wheat State League this week, never letting up says a lot about this team’s heart.”

Girls lose a close one

Despite facing a team with more height, the girls team spurted to a 13-5 lead after one quarter. Alyssa Espinoza scored two 3-pointers, and Kelsey Hett scored another. Samantha Espinoza added two baskets.

The Cougars were outscored in the second quarter but held a four-point lead at halftime.

Elyria took the lead early in the third quarter, but Centre regained the lead in the fourth quarter after scoring 10 consecutive points. Hett and Alyssa Espinoza each made a 3-pointer and Samantha Espinoza made a basket and two free throws.

Elyria tied the game, 33-33, with less than a minute to go. The Eagles made nine free throws to win by four points.

Hett was Centre’s leading scorer with 14 points. Other scorers were A. Espinoza, 9; S. Espinoza, 9; Alex Remmers, 2; and Lili Espinoza, 2.

Makeup games produce mixed results

The boys lost a makeup game Thursday at Little River, 41-24. The girls won 51-48.

They both won makeup games Monday at home against Wichita Classic. The boys won, 50-42, and the girls won, 35-20.

Centre played Tuesday at Canton-Galva. The scores are listed above.