By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

Centre basketball teams played aggressive competitive games last week in the semi-finals of the 1A regional at Lebo, but both finished on the short end.

Girls

After getting a bye on the first round, the girls’ team lost to Burlingame 51-48 in the semifinals Thursday, ending the season with an overall record of 11-9. They were 5-4 in the Wheat State League.

Alex Remmers made a trey in the first quarter, Alyssa Espinoza made a field goal, Samantha Espinoza made a free throw, and Kelsey Hett added two free throws. However, Centre trailed by five points after one quarter.

The next two quarters put Centre in the lead, with quarterly scores of 13-9 and 12-9. Alyssa Espinoza and Hett combined for 20 points and Samantha Espinoza scored five.

Unfortunately, Burlingame outscored Centre 20-15 in the final quarter, handing the Cougars a three-point loss.

Coach Alan Stahlecker was pleased with his team.

“This team has no quit in them, as they contended to the very end all season,” he said. “Their tenacity has made up for the lack of height and depth. With no seniors on the team, I anticipate having all eight players back next season.”

Hett scored 24 points, followed by Alyssa Espinoza, with 11.

Scoring summary: Hett, 24; Alyssa Espinoza, 11; Samantha Espinoza, 8; Remmers, 3; and Allie Hurd, 2.

Boys

Centre boys lost to top-seeded Burlingame Friday, 40-31, after defeating St. Xavier of Junction City, 66-44, in the first round of the tournament.

Centre fans were thrilled to see the team take and maintain a lead for most of the game. Xavier Espinoza scored all 10 of Centre’s points in the first quarter. Centre led by seven.

Neither team scored much in the second quarter. Dalton Stika made a trey and Jensen Riffel made a field goal. Centre led 15-11 at halftime.

Burlingame’s shooting remained cold in the third quarter as Centre jumped to a seven-point lead before finishing the quarter with a 25-22 lead.

Burlingame caught up to the Cougars, 31-31, at the four-minute mark of the final quarter, and it was downhill for Centre from then on. Burlingame scored nine points while Centre remained scoreless and lost by as many.

Espinoza led the way, scoring 17 points including nine of 10 at the free-throw line. He had seven rebounds.

The Cougars ended the season with a record of 9-12 overall and 4-5 in the league.

Scoring summary: Espinoza, 17; Riffel, 6; Stika, 3; Lane Methvin, 3; and Jacob Hird, 2.