Centre girls lose in overtime
In an exciting homecoming overtime game Friday, Centre High School girls suffered a disappointing three-point loss, 51-54, to St. Xavier of Junction City.
Centre got off to a slow start, scoring only seven points in the first quarter compared to 14 by St. Xavier.
They made up for it in the second quarter. Sophomore Jackie Klenda opened the quarter with a three-point shot. That was followed by a two-point goal and a three-pointer by another sophomore, Brianne Stahlecker, to put the Lady Cougars ahead, 15-14.
After a basket by junior Raschelle Jirak and one by St. Xavier, the first half ended with Centre up by one, 17-16.
The girls picked up their play in the third quarter. Junior Laura Klenda stole the ball and scored two points with a follow-up shot at the free throw line, making the score 22-18. She then had a strong defensive rebound, and senior Kathleen Meek shot for two, increasing Centre's lead to 24 to 18.
Then St. Xavier battled back, scoring several free throws and field goals on turnovers and steals. With 2:40 left in the quarter, the game was tied, 32-32. St. Xavier continued to dominate, ending the quarter in the lead, 38-32.
St. Xavier came out blazing in the fourth quarter, scoring two three-pointers in a row. But the Lady Cougars answered with points of their own, including a three-pointer by Jirak.
With two minutes to go, the girls were down by three, 41-44. They tied the game, 47-47, at the half-minute mark.
A travel by St. Xavier at 0:21 gave the Lady Cougars a chance to win the game, but they threw the ball away with four seconds remaining, sending the game into overtime.
The girls fought hard in the overtime, scoring two field goals, but Laura Klenda and Bowman fouled out. The four fouls by Centre resulted in seven free throws by St. Xavier, leaving them up by three as the buzzer sounded. The final score was St. Xavier 54, Centre 51.
Statistics show that, although Centre out-rebounded St. Xavier 52 to 25, the girls were outdone on the boards. Centre shot 28 percent from the field compared to 38 percent by St. Xavier. At the free throw line, Centre made 40 percent of their attempts and St. Xavier made 71 percent.
Jirak led scoring for Centre with 15 points. Laura Klenda also scored in double digits with 13 points. Klenda led defensively, with 15 rebounds and four steals.
Individual statistics
Scoring (Centre 51, St. Xavier 54): Meek, 2; Jill Fenske, 6; J. Klenda, 5; Bowman, 5; Jirak, 15; Stahlecker, 5; L. Klenda, 13.
Total rebounds (52/25): Meek, 3; Fenske, 4; J. Klenda, 8; Bowman, 10; Jirak, 8; Stahlecker, 3; Trichia Pauls, 1; L. Klenda, 15.
Fouls (18/13): Fenske, 1; J. Klenda, 2; Bowman, 5; Jirak, 2; Stahlecker, 2; Pauls, 1; L. Klenda, 5.
Steals (13/8): Griffith, 1; Meek, 1; Fenske, 3; Bowman, 1; Jirak, 1; Stahlecker, 1; L. Klenda, 4; Jenna Beneke, 1.
Assists (12/10): Griffith, 1; J. Klenda, 1; Bowman, 5; Jirak, 3; Stahlecker, 1; Beneke, 1.
Turnovers (23/26): Griffith, 1; Meek, 1; Fenske, 5; J. Klenda, 2; Bowman, 4; Jirak, 5; Klenda, 4; Beneke, 1.
