Cougars defeat Chase County
The Centre Cougars poured it on at Cottonwood Falls Jan. 22, defeating 2A Chase County 76-61.
By half-time, the outcome was no longer in doubt as the Cougars outscored the Bulldogs 23 to 14 in the first quarter and 23 to 9 in the second, ending the half ahead 46-23.
Although Chase County outscored Centre in the second half, they weren't able to catch up, handing Centre its seventh win of the season.
Senior Grant Garrard was in his element during the first quarter, as he completed six shots from the field. He later completed five of six free-throw attempts for a total of 17 points. He also was hot off the board at both ends of the court, with 12 rebounds.
Todd Stahlecker had a good night with four three-pointers, three two-pointers, and two free-throws to match Garrard's total.
Two other players in double digits were Kyle Luna with 12 and Travis Burns with 10.
Individual statistics
Scoring: Stahlecker, Garrard, 17 each; Luna, 12; Burns, 10; Justin Makovec, 9; Carmen Mille, 8; Brian Klenda, 2; Darrin Hajek, 1.
Fouls: Mille, 4; Makovec, Luna, Garrard, Hajek, 2 each.
Rebounds: Garrard, 12; Luna, Mille, 6 each; Klenda, 4; Derek Belton, Makovec, 2 each; Curtis Gutsch, Stahlecker, Hajek, 1 each.
Turnovers: Garrard, 3; Makovec, Hajek, 2 each; Luna, Burns, Mille, Stahlecker, 1 each.
Steals: Gutsch, 4; Makovec, 3; Burns, Hajek, 2 each; Luna, Mille, Stahlecker, Klenda, 1 each.
Assists: Gutsch, 5; Mille, 4; Makovec, Burns, Stahlecker, 3 each; Burns, Hajek, 2 each; Luna, 1.
B team
Centre junior varsity was left in the dust by Chase County, losing by a score of 45-61.
Centre led in the first half: 16-14 after the first quarter and 29-19 at the half. But Chase County came back strong in the second half and outscored the Cougars 19 to five and 23 to 11 to win the game.
Derek Belton was leading scorer for Centre with 12 points, followed by Chris Peterson with 11. Other scorers were: Eric Peterson, eight; Jordan Nowak, five: Andrew Hajek and Justin Garrard, four each; and Trent Hajek, one.
Centre vs. St. Xavier
In a hard-fought game played at Junction City Friday, St. Xavier defeated Centre 69-64.
St. Xavier jumped out to a quick start, outscoring Centre 18-9 in the first quarter.
The Cougars crept up on the Rams in the second quarter when Garrard scored six points and made five from the free-throw line. Stahlecker added five. With 2:29 remaining, the Cougars came within one, 21-22.
Despite a foul and technical called on Justin Makovec, leading to seven more points for St. Xavier, Centre trailed by only three at half-time, 29-32.
The battle continued in the second half, with St. Xavier gaining. Centre pulled within four with 10 seconds remaining in the third quarter after Curtis Gutsch sank a three-pointer. It was followed by a basket by the Rams, to make the score 44-50 at the end of the quarter.
Another three-pointer by Gutsch at the start of the fourth quarter brought Centre within three. St. Xavier then went on a nine-point run, but a foul on Stahlecker as he sank a three-pointer ended in a four-point play for Centre, giving the team some momentum.
However, St. Xavier's lead was too much to overcome. With 38.4 seconds remaining, Stahlecker completed a three-pointer to make the score 61-67. A free-throw from Luna brought the Cougars within five, but that was as close as they got. The final buzzer sounded with the score, St. Xavier 69 Centre 64.
Stahlecker led scoring for the Cougars, with 19 points. Luna and Garrard each added 15, with 10 and nine rebounds, respectively.
Individual statistics
Scoring: Stahlecker, 19: Luna, Garrard, 15 each; Gutsch, 9; Mille, 4; Makovec, 2.
Fouls: Makovec, Gutsch, Garrard, 4 each; Stahlecker, 3; Luna, Burns, Klenda, 1 each.
Rebounds: Luna, 10; Garrard, 9; Mille, Gutsch, 2 each; Makovec, Burns, Klenda, 1 each.
Turnovers: Gutsch, Garrard, 3 each; Makovec, Burns, Mille, Stahlecker, 2 each; Luna, Klenda, 1 each.
Steals: Gutsch, 3; Garrard, 2; Luna, Makovec, Burns, Stahlecker, 1 each.
Assists: Gutsch, 4; Stahlecker, 3; Makovec, Burns, 2 each; Luna, Mille, Klenda, 1 each.
Blocked shots: Gutsch, 1.
B team
St. Xavier's junior varsity defeated Centre 49-42. Centre led during the first half, going into half-time ahead 21-18. However, St. Xavier outscored Centre in the second half 18 to 10 and 13 to 11, to win the game.
J. Garrard scored 12 points, followed by Belton and E. Peterson, nine each; C. Peterson, five; Aaron Barney, three; and A. Hajek and Brent Carlson, two each.
