Centre wins homecoming
Staff writer
A large homecoming crowd at Centre was delighted to witness double victories Friday as the boys’ basketball team defeated Wakefield, 45-40, and the girls won, 38-26.
The boys trailed by 7 points at the end of the first quarter.
“In the second quarter, I made a change, going with a smaller line up and rotating the big men in the post,” said coach Richard Idleman. “We came back aggressively, taking the ball to the basket.”
Xavier Espinoza scored 8 points, going 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. Dylan Deines received assists from Cole Srajer and CJ Thompson for breakaway baskets. Centre led 25-23 at halftime.
The second half was back and forth as the teams traded baskets, with Wakefield leading by 1 at the end of the third quarter.
The Cougars increased their defensive pressure in the fourth quarter, limiting Wakefield to 6 points. Srajer and Cody Svoboda combined for 6 free throws to seal the victory.
Deines led scoring with 14 points and had 7 rebounds, 1 steal, and 4 blocks.
Srajer scored 11 points including 7 free throws. He had 2 steals and took a charge.
Svoboda had 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 steal.
Brendan Bina had 4 rebounds and took a charge.
“The game was won by defense and hitting 81 percent from the free-throw line,” Idleman said.
The victory secured a second-place, 7-2 finish in the Wheat State League. The Cougars are 11-5 overall.
They played Canton-Galva on Tuesday at home. They won 56-43.
Girls
The first half of the girls’ game was tight as both teams were prolific in 3-point shots. Wakefield led 20-19 at halftime.
A defensive change at the break made a big difference, coach Alan Stahlecker said.
“Wakefield struggled to score, only scoring 6 points for the half,” he said. “Our defense got us a couple of transition baskets in the third quarter, and the momentum changed in our favor.”
Shelby Pankratz had a solid performance, scoring a team-high 14 points, including 2 3-pointers. Kate Basore scored 9 points.
“The girls made a lot of good passes, leading to some easy baskets,” Stahlecker said.
The victory was Stahlecker’s 100th win as coach.
It was Centre’s final league game of the season for a record of 5-4. Their overall record is 8-8.
The Lady Cougars played Canton-Galva on Tuesday at home. They won 44-34.