Centre teams wow crowd with victories against White City
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
Much to the delight of the crowd, winter homecoming contests Friday against White City proved successful for both the boys' and girls' basketball teams at Centre High School.
The girls won, 42-27. After a tight 9-8 first quarter, they gradually increased their lead to six points by the end of the third.
The game broke wide open in the final quarter as the Lady Cougars outscored White City 16-7, resulting in a 15-point win.
Scoring was spread almost evenly among five girls. Shelby Deines led with 10 points, including a three-point goal. Leann Pankratz scored nine points, Carlye Simons eight, Josie Peterson seven, and Brooke Carlson six. Freshman Allison Shields added two points.
Boys
The Cougars defeated the Huskies, 62-51, after beating them by four points a week earlier in the league tournament.
Sophomore Trevor Troutt got the Cougars off to a good start with a layup and follow-up free throw for a 3-0 lead.
The Huskies played aggressively and tied the game at 9-all halfway through the quarter. But Centre pulled ahead on good shooting by Troutt, James Weber, and Ben Krause, to lead 18-13 after one quarter.
White City continued to fight, outscoring Centre 15-13 in the second quarter, resulting in a slight three-point Cougar lead at halftime, 31-28.
Zach Slayden opened the third quarter with a three-pointer, widening the gap to six.
The Huskies missed a lot of attempts at the goal, scoring just eight points in the quarter. Meanwhile, Bryant Brunner nailed a three and Weber scored six points of his own to keep Centre out in front, 43-36.
The Cougars continued to increase their lead in the fourth quarter. With approximately two minutes remaining, Weber ran the baseline and threw up a back-handed shot for two points. He injured his knee when he came down and had to leave the game.
Nevertheless, Centre went on to win by 11 points. Krause and Troutt each scored 15 points, followed by Weber with 14. Weber was leading rebounder, with 11.
Coach Cody Schafer said the team now is playing a lot harder at both ends of the court than before Christmas
"They are playing as a team," he said.
He noted Weber will be sorely missed the next couple of games, as he waits for his knee to heal. It is hoped he will return Friday.
The Cougars now are 6-6 on the year. They faced a tough schedule this week, playing undefeated Wakefield Monday on the road in a makeup game, Solomon Tuesday at home, and Lebo Friday at home.
