The MCL schools were content to play amongst themselves for tournament play in week seven. The Ellis girls knocked off unbeaten Smith Center for the title, and the Phillipsburg boys remain unscathed.
Ellis
The MCL and Class 2A may have a new power. Saturday’s league tournament featured unbeaten Smith Center, the No. 4 team in 2A, and No. 7 Ellis. The dual played out just like it should have. The Railroaders needed overtime to hand Smith Center its first loss 73-63 for their first league tournament title since 2007. Senior Bailey Hensley scored 10 of her 28 points in overtime, ending her night 16-of-21 from the foul line. Freshman Alexcia Deutscher added 20 points and 10 rebounds for Ellis (12-1). Deutscher and Hensley each scored 15 points in a 63-40 win against Osborne in the semifinals. Ellis defeated Hill City 53-43 in the first-round.
The Ellis boys (8-5) also had a nice showing with a 2-1 record for third-place. The Railroaders downed Stockton 75-53 in round one, lost to unbeaten Phillipsburg 71-49 in the semis, then rebounded to beat Smith Center 80-52 in Saturday’s consolation match. In that Saturday win, Ellis put up 21 or more points in three of the four quarters, leading 42-20 by halftime. Cole Pfeifer led the team with 23 points. Blake Hudson added 14 points, Tyler Walters 11 points, and Brendon Brenner 10 points.
Phillipsburg
The Panther boys remain the only unbeaten team in the league. Phillipsburg (12-0) cruised to a league-tournament title with a 65-48 win against Plainville on Saturday. The No. 5 Panthers were rarely tested in the tournament, beating Hill City 58-40 on Monday, then defeating Ellis 71-49 in Friday’s semifinals. In the Ellis won, Phillipsburg led 28-24 at the half before opening a 53-38 lead in the third quarter. Sean Newlan led the team with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Tad Thompson hit a pair of triples to finish with 14 points. Seth Derr added a unique double-double with 10 points and 11 assists.
The Lady Panthers (6-7) salvaged a tournament win on Saturday with a 50-21 contest against Stockton. Prior to that, Phillipsburg fell to Smith Center 66-33, and lost to Plainville 55-48. In the Plainville loss, junior Mattison Dusin missed a double-double by one rebound, finishing with 13 points and nine boards. Michaela Gower added 11 points, and Mindy nine points in the loss.
Plainville
The Cardinal boys just did not have enough to be the first team to beat Phillipsburg this year. Saturday night, the teams met in the MCL tournament championship game with the Panthers prevailing 65-48. Plainville (10-2) reached the title game by defeating Trego 64-25 on Monday, and coming from behind to beat Smith Center 60-52 on Friday. In that semifinals win, the Cardinals turned an 18-9 first quarter deficit into a 33-31 halftime lead. They outscored the Redmen 27-21 in the second half to hold on for the win. Junior Hadley Gillium had a big night with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Nolan Weiser added 13 rebounds and seven boards, and Connor Collins chimed in with 10 points.
The Lady Cardinals lost their opener to Norton 49-41, but rebounded to beat Phillipsburg 55-48 and Hill City 36-35 to move to 7-5 on the season.
Smith Center
Saturday’s league tournament title game featured two of the premiere girls’ teams in Class 2A. For the first time this season, someone got the best of the Lady Redmen. No. 7 Ellis took the game and title with a 73-63 overtime win. Smith Center (10-1) reached the title game with a 66-33 win against Phillipsburg on Tuesday, and a 41-36 victory over Norton in Friday’s semifinals. Saturday’s loss ended a 30-game regular-season win streak for the girls, who won the league tournament last year. Junior Colbie Decker finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.
The Smith Center boys reached the consolation game with a 68-64 win against Norton on Monday, and a 60-52 loss to Plainville in Friday’s semifinal. Ellis ran away with the third-place game 80-52, outscoring Smith Center in each of the four quarters and building a 42-20 lead by the half. Senior Zach Linn led the Redmen with 16 points, followed by 12 points from Weston Rothchild, and 11 points from Taylor Zabel.
Norton
The Lady Jays picked up a 49-41 win against Plainville in round-one of the MCL tournament. It went downhill from there as Norton fell victim to a 41-36 loss to Smith Center in the semifinals, then lost to Osborne 44-31 in Saturday’s consolation match. Norton (8-5) used a big second quarter to take a 28-15 halftime lead against Plainville on Tuesday, extending the lead to 41-25 with a quarter to play. Bailey Ambrosier went 7-of-9 from the floor to lead the team with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Tawni Griffey hit two of the team’s six three-pointers to add 11 points. Katelyn Engelbert finished with eight points.
The Blue Jay boys dropped to 5-8 with a 1-2 showing at the tournament. They fell to Smith Center 68-64 on Monday, bounced back to beat Trego 45-38 on Thursday, then fell to Stockton 50-35 on Saturday. Norton needed overtime to get the one win, outscoring Trego 11-4 in the extra frame. Drew Schrum paced the team with 12 points in the win. Andrew Ellis hit two triples to add nine points, and Tanner Furbush scored eight points while leading the team with 10 rebounds. Jacob Brooks blocked six shots and dished out four assists.
Osborne
The Lady Bulldogs had a nice showing at the MCL tournament. Minus a 63-40 semifinal loss to the eventual champions from Ellis, Osborne downed Stockton 44-20 on Tuesday, then defeated Norton 44-31 to take third place on Saturday. The Bulldogs are now 8-2. Saturday, the girls did most of their damage in the middle quarters. Leading 4-3 after one quarter, Osborne outscored Norton 28-17 over the next two quarters. Jessica Princ and Taylor Noel each scored 17 points in the win. In Friday’s loss, Caitlin Miller paced the squad with 13 points. Princ added 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Rachel St. Clair hit double-figures with 10 points.
Stockton
The Tiger boys finished the MCL tournament strong with two wins. After a 74-53 loss to Ellis on Monday, the Tigers (6-4) downed Hill City 43-38 on Thursday, then knocked off Norton 50-35 on Saturday. In Monday’s loss, Stockton hung around for one quarter, trailing Ellis 17-16. The Railroaders outscored the Tigers 34-14 over the next two quarters to pull away for the win. Justin Wiltfong scored 16 points in the loss, and Koby Beougher added 13 points.
The Lady Tigers had an 0-3 showing in the tournament. The girls opened with a 44-20 loss to Osborne, then lost to Hill City 49-34. Saturday, the girls had their worst game yet with a 50-21 loss to Phillipsburg.
Hill City
The Ringneck basketball teams were both in action at the league tournament last week. Both posted 1-2 records. The boys opened with a 58-40 loss to the eventual champions from Phillipsburg. Hill City lost its second game to Stockton 43-38 before picking up a 67-53 win against Trego on Saturday.
The Lady Ringnecks also opened against the eventual champions in a 53-43 loss against Ellis on Tuesday. Thursday, the girls rebounded to beat Stockton 49-34. Plainville edged out Hill City 36-35 in Saturday’s fifth-place game. In Thursday’s win, Hill City jumped out to an 18-8 lead after one quarter, and outscored the Lady Tigers 24-18 in the second half. The Ringnecks hit eight three-pointers in the win. Megan Gansel went 3-of-5 from behind the arc for 15 points. Shelby Stewart hit 4-of-9 three-point tries for 12 points. Lexie McDowell also hit double-figures with 10 points. McKenzie Cooper dished out six assists.
Trego
With the Lady Golden Eagles falling to Phillipsburg in the play-in game, the Trego boys were the only representation at the MCL tournament. Things did not go well as the Golden Eagles went 0-3 to fall to 4-9 on the year. Monday, the boys fell to Plainville 64-25. That was followed by a 45-38 loss to Norton on Thursday, and a 67-53 loss to Hill City on Saturday. In the Thursday game, Trego outscored Hill City 6-3 in the fourth quarter to force overtime with a 34-34 tie. Norton dominated the final frame for the seven-point win. John Griffith hit three triples to lead the Golden Eagles with 17 points. Blake Huxman added nine points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
