The Centralia girls kept the strategy simple on Thursday to open districts.

Centralia vs Kirksville District Photo Gallery

After more than a week off, the No. 1 seed Lady Panthers picked up where they left off in the regular season by winning their 13th straight game, defeating No. 4 Kirksville 52-39 in the Class 4 District 8 semifinals in Centralia. Centralia trailed 15-9 after the first quarter but gradually increased the dosage of shots in the paint to play for a district title for the first time since 2012.

Head coach Megan Brinkmann said it was to be expected that the Lady Panthers (24-3) would start a little slow in the first quarter because of the long layoff but worked through those issues.

“I didn’t think we played badly, but it was just the flow,” Brinkmann said. “The girls know how to get stops and how to get to the line and score so just to be patient. When we were patient, we found really good reads, really good looks, had some mismatches and that’s when we executed.”

Harper Sontheimer led Centralia with 13 points, knocking down 5-of-6 free throws and repeatedly scoring through contact. Sontheimer said the second quarter was when she thought the Lady Panthers turned it around as more shots started going down and more scoring opportunities were found against the Lady Tigers (14-13).

Annie Robinson is one of Centralia post players that finished with nine points but began her scoring night from an unfamiliar spot: the 3-point line. With the Lady Panthers trailing 15-13 in the second quarter, Robinson pulled up and drained a 3-pointer before part of Centralia’s 11 steals turned into points for a 26-19 halftime lead.

“I really don’t shoot them often, but I saw my opportunity and took it,” Robinson said, laughing. “That really built a lot of momentum so I think that was a big moment in the game. I’m glad the shot went in.”

Sontheimer said the mismatches against Kirksville’s defense helped her and the rest of her teammates as the lead steadily grew to nine points, then 10 and 14 near the end of the game.

“We had a lot of mismatches during the game so I just felt like I had an opportunity to score at different times,” Sontheimer said. 

As for her teammates, Raegan Anderson finished with 10 points and two 3-pointers, Shelby Lewis had eight points, Braylin Brunkhorst added seven points, and senior Jozelynn Bostick put in five points but had eight rebounds and five steals as an “all-around good basketball player” over the full 32 minutes, Brinkmann said.

“They switched a lot of screens so there were a lot of mismatches,” Robinson said. “I kind of demanded the ball because I knew there was a smaller girl, and it ended up pretty well.”

Brinkmann said those big-on-little matchups against Kirksville helped the Lady Panthers a lot more in the second half when they used ball screens to force those to emerge. The patience in the offense even helped when Kirksville cut the margin to five points in the fourth quarter after an Elli Porter 3-pointer that was immediately answered by a Brunkhorst 3-pointer in transition.

Porter finished with 15 points and two 3-pointers following her 31 points in Kirksville’s 47-31 victory against Macon on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the sophomore was named as a first-team all-conference player in the North Central Missouri Conference, so Brinkmann said she obviously was a focus.

“I’m kind of glad she went off for 31 because we got to see some things,” Brinkmann said. “We knew if she went under screens, she would step back and shoot it. She’s really good at driving the lane. I think a lot of things run through her, so whoever guarded her — Harper, Kaelyn (Walters), Joz — just did an excellent job.

“Our weak side — helper — defense was fantastic because we did put a lot of emphasis on her. She drives, you are leaving and we are helping the back side. I thought we had five or six (steals) off just that action right there. If we’re not there, it’s a layup.”

Centralia is now 6-0 against district opponents this season but have never tried to look too far ahead, Brinkmann said, as she emphasizes the preparation it takes to reach goals rather than focusing on the goals themselves. The Lady Panthers have defeated No. 2 seed Moberly (20-7) once this season 63-56 on Dec. 20 in Moberly. The Lady Spartans have won 12 straight games after defeating Hallsville 62-46 on Thursday.

The seniors Sontheimer and Robinson are excited to be playing for a district title for the first time in their high school careers and having it on their home court at 1 p.m. Saturday is a big bonus.

“We’ve got a lot of momentum going and a really great community,” Robinson said. “I think the crowd is going to be great, and I think it’s going to be a good game.”