Centre boys lose to Hope
After winning six consecutive games including the first round of the 1A regional tournament, the Centre Cougars suffered a disappointing loss Friday to the Hope Lions in the semi-finals.
Both teams entered the game with 15 wins and six losses. However, Centre was unable to capitalize on home court advantage and was defeated 67-52.
Sophomore Justin Garrard, the 6'3" post player, got into foul trouble early and was out of the game for most of the first half.
Hope took an early 4-0 lead, but a steal by Curtis Gutsch followed by a run-back and lay-up put Centre on the scoreboard.
At 4:55 the game was tied 6-6. After two more ties and with less than two minutes to go in the quarter, Centre went ahead by one, 16-15, on a three-point goal by Todd Stahlecker.
The Lions picked up their play and scored six unanswered points to lead by five, 21-16, at the end of the quarter.
The Cougars came roaring back in the second quarter. Gutsch scored eight unanswered points. First, he stole the ball, which resulted in a lay-up and a free throw. He then completed a two-point goal at 7:10 to tie the game at 21 all. He followed this with a three-point trey, which put Centre ahead 24-21.
Hope then scored seven unanswered points to regain the lead, 28-24. Another Gutsch three put the Cougars within one, but that was followed by two lay-ups by Hope. Hope led, 32-27, at halftime.
Centre players did their best to try to catch up in the third quarter. Todd Stahlecker completed two threes and Travis Burns had one, but Hope completed four. The Cougars were down by eight at the end of the quarter.
Centre's shooting turned cold in the fourth quarter as the slide continued. Hope scored 16 points compared to nine by Centre. The final score was Hope 67, Centre 52.
Although Centre and Hope were almost equal in successful three-point shots (Centre 7, Hope 8), two-point field goals made the difference. Hope completed 19 of 34 for 56 percent. Centre completed 14 of 38 for 37 percent.
Gutsch was Centre's leading scorer with 21 points and led in rebounding with eight. Todd Stahlecker had 17.
Hope 67 Centre 52
Hope 21 11 19 16 - 67
Centre 16 11 16 9 - 52
Total points: Curtis Gutsch, 21; Travis Burns, 8; Aaron Barney, 2; Todd Stahlecker, 17; Justin Garrard, 4.
Two-point field goals made/attempted: Gutsch, 6/12; Burns, 4/9; Barney, 1/2; B. Gutsch 0/1; Stahlecker, 1/7; Derek Belton, 0/3; Garrard, 2/4.
Three-point field goals made/attempted: Gutsch, 3/6; Burns, 0/1; Barney, 0/1; Stahlecker, 5/10.
Free throws: Gutsch, 3/6; Garrard, 0/1.
Rebounds: Gutsch, 9; Burns, 5; Barney, 6; Stahlecker, 4; Belton, 3; Garrard, 5.
Turnovers: Gutsch, 4; Burns, 3; Barney, 1; Garrard, 2.
Assists: Gutsch, 3; Burns,2; Barney, 1; Garrard, 2.
Steals: Gutsch, 2; Stahlecker, 1; Garrard, 1.
Fouls: Gutsch, 4; Burns, 3; Barney, 1; Bryant Gutsch, 1; Stahlecker, 1; Belton, 1; Garrard, 3.
Charges taken: Barney, 1.
Centre vs. St. Xavier
The Cougars had an easy time Feb. 25 defeating St. Xavier in the first round game at Centre.
The score remained relatively close during the first half. Centre led with a first quarter score of 13-11 and a halftime score of 28-22.
St. Xavier was plagued with turnovers in the second half, allowing Centre to gain a 50-34 lead by the end of the third quarter.
Centre led 68-48 with two minutes to go in the game. Justin Garrard fouled out after scoring 13 points.
After Coach Russ Hake sent his second string into the game, St. Xavier was able to score nine points while Centre failed to score. The final score was Centre 68, St. Xavier 57.
Curtis Gutsch led scoring, with 20 points — nine two-point field goals and two free throws. He also led in rebounding, with 10. Three other players were in double digits: Todd Stahlecker, 15; Garrard, 13; and Travis Burns, 10.
Centre 68 St. Xavier 57
Centre 13 15 20 18 - 68
St. Xavier 11 11 12 23 - 57
Total points: Travis Burns, 10; Curtis Gutsch, 20; Justin Garrard, 13; Derek Belton, 6; Todd Stahlecker, 15.
Two-point goals attempted/made: Burns, 8/4; Gutsch, 14/9; Garrard, 9/6; Belton, 7/2; Stahlecker, 6/3.
Three-point goals attempted/made: Burns, 1/0; Gutsch, 2/0; Garrard, 1/0; Stahlecker 9/3.
Free throws attempted/made: Burns, 2/2; Gutsch, 2/2; Garrard, 2/1; Belton, 2/2.
Assists: Burns, 4; Gutsch, 9; Garrard, 1; Stahlecker, 3; Bryant Gutsch, 2.
Rebounds: Burns, 4; Gutsch, 10; Garrard, 5; Belton, 4; Stahlecker, 2; Aaron Barney, 6; B. Gutsch, 1.
Steals: Burns, 4; Gutsch, 4; Garrard, 1; Belton, 1; Stahlecker, 5; B. Gutsch, 1.
Blocks: Gutsch, 1.
Turnovers: Burns, 2; Gutsch, 2; Garrard, 3; Belton, 1; Stahlecker, 2; Barney, 1; B. Gutsch, 1; Trent Hajek, 2; Andrew Hajek, 1.
Charges: Belton, 1; B. Gutsch, 1.
Fouls: Burns, 2; Gutsch, 1; Garrard, 4; Belton, 1; Stahlecker, 2; B. Gutsch, 1.
Centre ended the season with a record of 15-7, a marked improvement over the 2002 record of 10-11.
Goessel won the tournament by defeating Hope Saturday in the championship game. Both teams advanced to sub-state.
