The Centralia girls had lost to this team last season on their own court for a championship and weren't going to let that happen again. After losing 43-41 against Moberly for a district title last season, the Lady Panthers held off the Lady Spartans 62-57 on Friday to win their second straight Centralia Invitational title.
“We came in and played together,” sophomore Braylin Brunkhorst said. “We worked the ball, and everyone was there and had the same goal. Everyone was excited for everyone, and it was just a really great feeling.”
Centralia (5-1) built a lead as big as 19 points and held off a surging Moberly (4-1) in the fourth quarter when freshman Ryenn Gordon (10 points, seven rebounds and five assists) hit two free throws to seal victory. The Lady Panthers had four score in double digits, including Brunkhorst with 19 points, Raegan Anderson with 11 and Morgan Ross with 10. Moberly was led by Grace Billington with 21 points and four 3-pointers and Asa Fanning with 17 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks.
Brunkhorst made the all-tournament team after averaging 16.3 points in three tournament games, Anderson was named all-tournament after averaging 12.3 points per game and hitting three 3-pointers against Moberly, and Ross earned an all-tournament spot after averaging 12 points per game and five rebounds against Moberly. Billington, Fanning and Haley Baker represented Moberly on the all-tournament team.
“I saw grit, toughness and togetherness, and that’s the first time we really put it all together,” head coach Megan Brinkmann said. “We attacked gaps and found the open players. They were switching on some things, which gave us opportunities for Braylin and Ryenn to drive, help and then you got Morgan and Raegan hitting shots.”
Centralia plays at Blair Oaks (0-5) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Look for the full story in the Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, edition of the Mexico Ledger.
