Anthony Ford and the Centralia boys made enough crucial buckets down the stretch on Tuesday to advance in districts. The Panthers edged Clarence Cannon Conference foe Macon 47-46 in the first round of the Class 4 District 8 tournament in Centralia largely to the double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds from Ford, who had nine points in the fourth quarter and was 7-for-7 from the free-throw line.
After Centralia (16-11) led for most of the game, Macon took a 34-33 lead into the fourth quarter after a Jonathan Bray 3-pointer and grew that lead to as much as five points. Logan Rosenfelder dropped in seven of his 12 points in the third quarter, and then a Ford 3-point play and Cullen Bennett (eight rebounds) basket moved the Panthers back in front 40-38 with under four minutes left in the game.
Macon (8-17) nailed two 3-pointers in the final minute, including a long-distance range one from Hagan Ritter, who had 13 points, but couldn't get one more shot off. Kace Holman led the Tigers with 15 points and six rebounds, and Bray finished with eight points.
Centralia earned its third meeting with arch rival Hallsville (17-9) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the semifinals. The Panthers won the first game 71-70 but lost the rematch 61-49.
Look for the full stpry on the Mexico Ledger website on Wednesday, February, 28, 2024.
