Some Ledgerland high school basketball teams are starting the new year with tournament action, while some are not. Latest reports follow below.
CENTRALIA GIRLS: The Lady Panthers defeated Brookfield 54-30 Tuesday in the first round of the South Shelby Invitational after leading 29-17 at the half.
Jordyn Tolliver connected on 5 3-pointers, including a trio in the opening period, to lead Centralia with 17P. Mallory Henry joined her in double figures with 11P.
In Wednesday’s second round, Macon slipped past the Lady Panthers 45-42. A 24-5 stretch run helped the Lady Tigers erase a 37-21 Centralia lead after three periods.
Kerry Hockman topped Centralia with 10P and Mallory Henry added 9P.
CENTRALIA BOYS: The Panthers were likewise dominant in their tourney debut Tuesday, dumping Brookfield 68-32 after going into halftime with a 35-15 advantage.
Nic Ford paced Centralia with 14P, all but two in the third quarter, while Tyler Wright and Hunter Brumley added 13P apiece. Wright did all his scoring in the first half and Brumley (who like teammate Matt Rusch hit 3 3-pointers) netted 10P in the final period.
In Wednesday’s second round, it was Macon 61, Centralia 41.
PARIS BOYS: The Coyotes, seeded second in the Madison Invitational, beat Wellsville-Middletown 75-37 Tuesday to start their week. A 22-4 second quarter gave Paris a commanding 44-15 halftime lead.
Jon Gilliam scored 23P and William Ransdell 12P for Paris. Teammate Garrett Thomas pulled down 7R and Gilliam handed out 4A.
PARIS GIRLS: Third seed Hallsville used a 23-13 second half to down the Lady Coyotes 43-30 in their tourney opener.
“We played a much better game defensively in this go-around with Hallsville,” PHS coach Chris Willingham said.
“Unfortunately, our offense wasn’t up to the challenge. It’s tough to win a game when you shoot 11-for-44 from the field and 3-for-11 from the free throw line.”
High scorers for Paris were Tessa Henderson 8P and Amanda DeOrnellas 6P. Alex Kennedy added 6R and 3 blocks.
COMMUNITY R-6 GIRLS: The Lady Trojans rode a 30-21 second half to a 52-44 victory Wednesday over Madison in the consolation semifinals of the Madison Invitational. The Lady Panthers led 23-22 at halftime.
CR6’s Amanda Brooks and Madison’s Erica Keeling shared game-high scoring honors with 15P apiece, while Lena Uebinger added 10P, Shelby Curtis 9P, Ashley Curtis 7P and Rachel Arens 6P for the 2-4 Lady Trojans. Brooks also pulled down 7R.
Community R-6, which plays in Friday’s 7:30 p.m. consolation game, converted 20 of 36 free throws to outscore the Lady Panthers by seven at the foul line.
NORCAL GIRLS: Wednesday at Mark Twain, the Ladybirds improved to 5-2 with a 52-32 triumph after leading 31-20 at the half. Samantha Heck led North Callaway with 23P/14R/3A/4 blocks. Jennifer Lubbers and Morgan Brown Emmons both added 12P.
MMA: Missouri Military Academy dropped a 47-31 varsity decision to Gateway Academy of St. Louis on Wednesday evening in Centennial Gymtorium.
“This was a good game to have after a long break,” said MMA head coach Maj. Michael Pemberton. “I was pleased with our energy and hustle in the first quarter.”
The score was knotted at 10-10 after a hard-fought first frame.
“At the half, I thought we were fortunate to only be down by five. We shot the ball better and played a really good third quarter, outscoring the Titans 13- 8,” said Maj. Pemberton.
“With the game tied at 27, I thought we had some momentum going into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, we missed some easy baskets and committed too many turnovers late in the game.”
The Colonels (0-4) were led in scoring by Will Judice with 16 points and Pete Walters with 7. Derek Wilson and Judice were strong on the boards.
In the JV contest, MMA (1-3) handed assistant coach Lt. Amanda Duval her first win 43-23 behind the scoring of Ricardo Arjona (19) and Derek Kantorski (8), and the rebounding of Mikal Motley and Tanner Huff. Ty Armer was strong on defense.