Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Tuesday night: Marauders & Dragons move on

All four Hancock County teams were in action to open sectional play tonight.

Mt. Vernon and New Palestine moved on to the semifinals with victories, while Eastern Hancock and Greenfield-Central fell in their opening-round contests.

First, let's look at the wins:
Mt. Vernon 57, Brebeuf 28: The Marauders used their powerful inside game to build a big lead and win their first-round sectional contest. Erica Moore had 15 points to lead three Marauders in double-figures. Anna Olson had a strong game inside with 13 points. Guard Jessica Brown added 11.

MV used its patented runs to pull away quickly. The Marauders scored the game's first 17 points, and then went on a 17-1 run in the second half. MV held Brebeuf without a field goal for the game's first 12 minutes, during which the Marauders built up a 21-7 edge. It was 30-16 at halftime, with Moore scoring all 15 of her points in the opening half. MV outscored Brebeuf 15-0 in the third quarter to go up 45-16 at the end of three.

However, the game might have been costly for the Marauders, as 6-foot-2 center Makenzi Reasor appeared to suffer an injury due to contact with the head late in the first quarter and did not play the rest of the game.

MV is now 18-5 on the year and faces Howe in Friday's semifinal round at 6 p.m.. Guerin Catholic and Chatard will play the second semi at Arlington.

New Palestine 45, Whiteland 41: The Dragons took the lead early in the second with a 10-0 run that put them up 15-7, and pushed it as high as double-digits on several occasions. A late Whiteland push cut the lead, but the four-point final margin was as close as the Warriors got from the early moments of the second quarter on.

Senior Bethany Murrell scored 18 points and added nine rebounds and four steals for the Dragons. NP shot 48 percent in the second half to pull away after leading 19-14 at halftime. NP led 31-21 after three quarters. Senior guard Tori Stephenson added eight points. Abby Seifert had six points and nine rebounds. Lauren Tieman had six points and six boards.

The Dragons' rebounding prowess helped them grab 17 offensive boards and outrebound Whiteland 38-23.

Interestingly, the Dragons won despite not hitting a 3-pointer -- they went 0-for-8 from beyond the arc in the game. The Dragons had been very strong from the 3-point arc in the latter stages of the season.

Now 11-10, NP has won five of six games. The Dragons will play host Franklin at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the game that will be broadcast by HancockCountySports.com. Join Chris Lambert and Greg Elkins at approximately 7:15 p.m. for the call. Center Grove will face Greenwood in the first semifinal.

Pendleton Heights 55, Greenfield-Central 45: PH used a 9-point run late in the third quarter to take a 39-31 lead, then held the Cougars at bay in the fourth to move on. Kenzie Gustin led PH with 23 points.

LaRae Cruz led G-C with 12 points. 

The Cougars finish their season with a 13-8 record. PH moves on to face Richmond in the first  semifinal at G-C on Friday night. Anderson will meet New Castle in the other semi.

Hagerstown 53, Eastern Hancock 22: The Tigers have been one of 2A's top teams all season, and clinched their 20th victory with the win. The Royals had a breakout year finish at 12-9 under first-year coach Jeremy Powers. Hagerstown is now 20-2.

Local sectional pairings
Class 4A sectional at Franklin
Tuesday, Feb. 7
Center Grove 40, Franklin Central 38
New Palestine 45, Whiteland 41
Friday, Feb. 10
Greenwood (18-2) vs. Center Grove (9-12), 6 p.m.
Franklin (11-9) vs. New Palestine (11-10), 7:30 p.m. (LIVE BROADCAST)
Saturday, Feb. 11
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Winner goes to: Bedford North Lawrence regional (pairings: winners at Evansville Central vs. Seymour; winners at Franklin vs. Columbus North). Regional games 2/18 at 10/12, championship at 8


Class 3A sectional at Arlington
Tuesday, Feb. 7
Mt. Vernon 57, Brebeuf 28
Chatard advances via forfeit over Arlington
Friday, Feb. 10
Howe (5-14) vs. Mt. Vernon (18-5), 6 p.m.
Guerin Catholic (16-7) vs. Chatard (9-12), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 11
Championship, 7 p.m.
Winner goes to: Lebanon regional (pairings: winners at Western Boone vs. Arlington; winners at Owen Valley vs. Beech Grove). Regional games 2/18 at 10/12, championship at 7

Class 4A sectional at Greenfield-Central
Tuesday, Feb. 7
Pendleton Heights 55, Greenfield-Central 45
Anderson 50, Connersville 46

Friday, Feb. 10
Richmond (13-7) vs. Pendleton Heights (15-7), 6 p.m.
New Castle (5-15) vs. Anderson (17-5), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 11
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Winner goes to: Decatur Central regional (pairings: winners at Ben Davis vs. Warren Central; winners at Terre Haute North vs. Greenfield-Central). Regional games 2/18 at 10/12, championship at 7

Class 2A sectional at Cambridge City Lincoln
Tuesday, Feb. 7
Hagerstown 53, Eastern Hancock 22
Wednesday, Feb. 8Centerville (14-6) vs. Cambridge City Lincoln (8-11), 6 p.m.
Knightstown (14-6) vs. Union County (4-16), 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 10
Northeastern (7-12) vs. Hagerstown (20-2), 6 p.m.
Wednesday winners, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 11
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Winner goes to: Speedway regional (pairings: winners at Attucks vs. Broad Ripple; winners at Cascade vs. Cambridge City Lincoln). Regional games 2/18 at 10/12, championship 8

No comments:

Post a Comment