BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
DODGE CITY — Unbeaten 5-time state champion Centralia used a 20-0 scoring run for a dominating 50-27 quarterfinal victory over the St. John's girls in the 1A Division 1 basketball quarterfinals.
St. John trailed 15-11 with quality defense that shut out Centralia for six-plus minutes in the second quarter. But Centralia ended the first half on a 7-0 burst that ignited a 20-0 scoring run for a comfortable 35-11 lead. Centralia converted 7 of 26 first-half field goals while the Tigers made 5 of 20 shots.
"We played decent defense for 14 minutes, and those last 90 seconds hurt when Centralia scored seven points," said St. John coach Danny Smith. "The second half Centralia scores off a couple of runouts the start of the second half, and that was pretty much the ballgame. We battled."
St. John's Lydia Reed and Mia Meyer each scored 10 points. The other Tigers managed seven points off 2 of 10 shooting. Reed grabbed 11 rebounds, blocked two shots and dished out two assists
The Tigers were challenged offensively by Centralia's defense, which trapped ballhandlers and created 15 steals by getting in the passing lanes. St. John faced a challenge getting fouled and was outscored 16-3 from the free throw line.
Centralia's Hayden Kramer scored 17 points mostly off transition scores. Leading scorer Oen Deters and Tava Gibbs each added 10 points. Deters had nine steals, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out seven assists to lead the Panthers in every statistical category.
"Centralia's defense plays a physical style. It's hard to simulate that in practice," Smith said. "Centralia's girls had a strength factor that made it a tough matchup."
Tiger defender Jayln Fisher helped limit Deters to 3 of 15 shooting and the Tigers controlled the boards 35-30.
"The girls gave great effort and were well prepared," Smith said. "Jayln Fisher, our best defender late in the season, did a great job on Deters. We did some nice things. We kept Centralia off the offensive boards and held their post players to three baskets."
The Tigers faced a challenge isolating their lone senior Lydia Reed in their offensive sets against Centralia.
The Panthers attacked the basket effectively to convert 16 of 20 free throws. Centralia scored 19 points off 21 St. John turnovers.
St. John 9 2 6 10 — 27
Centralia 15 7 15 13 — 50
ST. JOHN (17-6) (FG 3 FT TP) — Lydia Reed 5-14 0-0 10, Mia Meyer 5-19 (0-3) 0-0 10, Bright 1-4 3-4 5, Brummer 1-1 0-0 2, Bonner 0-3 (0-2) 0-0 0, Rockenbach (0-1) 0-0 0, Jayln Fisher 0-1 0-0 0, Totals 12-43 (0-5) 3-6 27
CENTRALIA (23-0) (FG 3 FT TP)—Hayden Kramer 8-14 (0-2) 1-2 17, Deters 3-15 (1-6) 3-5 10, Gibbs 1-2 8-9 10, Josie Haverkamp 2-7 (1-5) 4-4 9, Heinen 0-2 (0-1) 0-0 0, Becker (0-1) 0-0 0, Tatum Kramer 1-2 (1-1) 0-0 3, Thompson 1-1 0-0 2, Rempe (0-3) 0-0 0, Totals 16-47 (2-15) 16-20 50
Rebounds SJ 35 (Reed 11); C 30 (Deters 8). Assists SJ 7 (Reed 2); C (Deters 7). Steals SJ 5 (Meyer, Reed, J. Fisher, Brummer, Bonner 1), C 15 (Deters 9)
1A DIV. 1 GIRLS
3-14—SEMIFINALS—Centralia 23-0 vs. Troy 21-1, 2 p.m.; Little River 21-0 vs. Quinter 20-3, 6 p.m.; FIRST ROUND—Centralia 50, St. John 27; Troy 33, Central Plains 25; Little River 76, Crest 27; Quinter 65, South Gray 54
