State-ranked Trojans roll to easy victory
Staff writers
Hillsboro, the county’s only state-ranked team, scored an easy victory to open the season Friday as Marion outscored Goessel.
Hillsboro
The Lady Trojans dominated their season opener Friday against Sterling, winning 62-17.
“I thought we executed well on both ends of the court and played with a lot of confidence and poise,” coach Micah Ratzlaff said.
Amyah Werth led the team, knocking down 8 of her 15 shot attempts.
“We had good ball movement and consistently hit shots on offense, and we were able to apply enough pressure on defense to make it difficult for Sterling to score,” Ratzlaff said.
Ella Potucek and Daisy Klien each knocked down three three-pointers.
Hillsboro will take part in a Moundridge tournament this week with a game Thursday against Inman.
Depending on who wins this week, the final tournament game will be played Friday in Moundridge.
“We have a quick turnaround next week with the Moundridge tournament, against some very good opponents,” Ratzlaff said. “We will continue to work hard and get better.”
Marion
The Warriors opened the season with a victory at home against county rival Goessel, 45-33.
“Our girls came out tonight focused and played hard,” coach Jason Hett said. “I thought we defended well. We fouled too much, but the girls stepped up and made big plays to close out the ball game.”
Kenna Wesner led the team with 21 points. She went five for six from the free throw line.
Erin Regnier was the only girl credited with points made beyond the arc.
“I was proud of how we handled the ball tonight and the energy we had throughout the game,” Hett said.
The Warriors will be host s for the Marion Classic this week, with a Friday game against Berean Academy.
The tournament stretches into Saturday. The championship game will be played that evening.
“We have some things to clean up and get better at, but it was effort basketball and grit basketball, and when we do those two things, good things happen,” Hett said.
Centre
Centre opened the season at home Friday night, losing 55-35 to Wakefield.
“While pleased with the step forward by the team, there are a number of areas to work on, including free throws, understanding responsibilities along the lane, and improving the continuity of our defensive intensity and our physical conditioning,” coach Alan Stahlecker said.
Olivia Carlson led the team with 13 points, three rebounds, and three steals. Carlson was two-for-two from the free throw line.
Ryleigh Jones scored eight points, while Sydney Smith and Jaycee Stika scored seven each.
“Senior Hailey Barton failed to score, as we did not get the ball to her inside well, but she was strong on defensive boards and had two blocks after returning to the Centre lineup after her junior season at Canton-Galva,” Stahlecker said.
The Cougars will participate in a Herington tournament this week with a game Friday against Rural Valley.
The final game will be on Saturday. Matchups will depend on who wins throughout the week.
Goessel
The Bluebirds opened their season by jumping out to a 14-10 lead in the first quarter, sparked by back-to-back three-pointers from Aimee and Abbigail Funk.
But Marion, rebounding well throughout, scored seven unanswered points to grab the lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Warriors led 25-16 in the second quarter, but 4-for-4 free-throw shooting from Delaney Duerksen and Jaley Schmidt allowed the Bluebirds to enter halftime trailing by only five.
Marion ran a fast break to perfection several times in the second half to extend its lead to 41-28.
Abbigail Funk scored four points but that was all the scoring for the Bluebirds, as the Warriors coasted to a 45-33 victory.
Leading scorers for Goessel were Aimee Funk with 11, Abbigail Funk with 10 and Delaney Duerksen with 7.
Goessel will host the Bluebird Classic with games against Canton-Galva on Friday.
Games Saturday will be determined by results of earlier games.
Peabody-Burns
Peabody-Burns opened the season at home Friday, losing 55-14 to Central Christian Academy.
“I think the opener went well for us,” coach Austin Weaver said. “Several girls on our team played their first ever game last Friday. They played well together and had fun on the court.”
The Warriors will be back at home this Friday to play against Wichita Defenders.
“I am excited to see them continue to play and grow as we continue the season,” Weaver said.