Staff writer
The first half of Friday’s home game Central Christian of Hutchinson went well for the Lady Cougars. They played good defense, scored well from the floor, and led 21-18 at halftime.
“I was pleased with the way we played in the first half,” coach Alan Stahlecker said. “We shot at 37.54 percent and grabbed 8 offensive boards that allowed us to get a put-back basket just before the buzzer at the end of both of the first two quarters.”
Central Christian picked up its offense in the second half to take a 31-25 third-quarter lead.
A 3-pointer by Shelby Pankratz in the fourth quarter put Centre within 3 points, but 8 unanswered points by Central Christian expanded their lead to 11 points.
After Emily Schlesener made a basket as time wound down, the final score was 39-30 in favor of Central Christian.
“Nine points in the second half just isn’t enough to get the job done,” Stahlecker said.
Kate Basore and Pankratz were leading scorers, with 10 each. Basore led at the boards with 11 rebounds. Summer Espinoza had 6 rebounds and a team-leading 4 assists. Freshman Kelsey Hett, in her first high school game, had 3 assists. Katie Marler made a trey and a free throw for 4 points.
The girls will play Lebo at 7 p.m. Thursday and Wichita Classic at 4 p.m. Friday in the Herington pre-season tournament.