Several MCL basketball teams are already ranked or right on the cusp. The No. 5 Smith Center girls (2A) and No. 9 Phillipsburg boys (3A) remain unbeaten.
Ellis
The Ellis basketball squads got a New Year sweep Friday against Ellis. The No. 9 Lady Railroaders improved to 7-1 with a 54-23 win against the Tigers. Ellis dominated the game, outscoring Stockton in each of the four quarters and leading 29-13 by halftime. Freshman Alexcia Duetscher led all scorers with 19 points. Bailey Hensley added 15 points, and Kaleigh Soneson finished with 10 points.
The boys picked up a 66-57 upset win against the No. 6 Tigers. Ellis trailed 17-16 after one quarter, then outscored Stockton 19-10 in the second quarter. Senior Tyler Walters had the big game with 25 points. Thatcher Brown added 13 points, and Nick Gehring hit double-figures with 12 points. Ellis improves to 5-3 on the year.
Norton
The Blue Jay boys used the middle quarters to handle Osborne 53-43 in the first game of 2013 on Friday. The Bulldogs led 19-8 after one quarter. Norton cut the gap to 36-33 by halftime, then used an 18-5 third quarter to build a 41-31 lead of its own. Senior Jacob Brooks had a monster night with 39 points, including 4-of-10 shooting from three-point land. Brooks also led Norton (4-4) with seven rebounds. Senior Dalton Miller was the only other Blue Jay to hit double-figures with 12 points.
The Lady Jays fall to 5-3 with a 51-36 loss to Osborne in a game that featured two of the top teams in the league. Norton fell behind early at 18-9 after one quarter, and 31-15 by the half. Senior Tawni Griffey hit 4-of-8 three point tries to lead the team with 14 points. She added six rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Junior Bailey Ambrosier recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Stockton
The No. 6 Tiger boys (4-2) will likely fall out of the Class 1A, Div. I rankings following a 66-57 loss to Ellis on Friday. Stockton outscored Ellis by a point in each of the first and third quarters, but the Tigers were outscored 19-10 in the second quarter to trail 35-27 at the half. Sophomore Jaden Williams poured in 15 points in the loss. Justin Wiltfong and Christian Hamel each added 14 points.
The Lady Tigers fall to 3-3 with a 54-23 loss to No. 9 Ellis. Stockton struggled offensively most of the night, scoring just two points in the first quarter and three points in the fourth quarter. Ellis led 29-13 by halftime. Sophomore Morgan Beougher scored nine points in the loss, and senior Sierra Brown finished with seven points.
Plainville
After a 20-point loss to unbeaten Phillipsburg in early December, the Cardinal boys have rattled off three straight wins. The last of that streak came Friday in a 57-48 contest at home against Trego. Plainville (6-1) did most of its damage in the first half with a 29-19 lead. Junior Hadley Gillium went off for an impressive double-double with 29 points and 20 rebounds. Nolan Weiser added 14 points and eight rebounds, and Kent Diaz scored eight points in the win.
The Lady Cardinals improved to 5-2 overall with a 42-30 win. The girls won each of the first three quarters to lead 21-13 at the half and 34-21 after three quarters. Kim Junkermeier paced the team with a game-high 17 points. Shelby Pywell contributed 12 more points.
Phillipsburg
The Panther basketball squads picked up an MCL-sweep on the road at Hill City on Friday. The No. 9 Panther boys remain unbeaten, improving to 7-0 with a 64-49 win. The teams traded quarters with Hill City leading 11-10 after one quarter. Phillipsburg led 31-22 at the half and 42-37 after three quarters. Twenty-two points in the final frame sealed the deal. Senior Sean Newlan led the way with 25 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Senior Seth Derr hit the only two Phillipsburg threes to add 15 points.
The Lady Panthers improved to 3-4 with a 42-34 win. Trailing 24-22 at the half, Phillipsburg won the second half 20-10 to take the victory. Junior Mattison Dusin put up a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Madysen Frantz added nine points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Osborne
The Lady Bulldogs did not have a chance to rebound from an Ellis loss before the break. Instead, they opened 2013 with a 51-36 win against Norton to improve to 5-1 on the year. Osborne ran away with things early, outscoring the Lady Jays 18-9 in the first quarter, and extending the gap to 31-15 by halftime. Senior Rachel St. Clair paced the team with 17 points. Jessica Princ added 13 points, and Taylor Noel hit two-of-three shots from behind the arc to finish with nine points.
The Bulldog boys (2-4) led 19-8 after one quarter. Norton stormed back to outscore Osborne 33-12 over the next two quarters for a 53-43 win.
Trego
The Golden Eagle basketball teams dropped a pair of league games at Plainville in the first games of 2013 on Friday. The Trego boys are 3-5 overall after a 57-48 loss. The Cardinals led 14-10 after one quarter, and 29-19 at the break. Trego actually shaved a point off that lead in the second half but it was not enough. Only four Golden Eagles scored in the loss, led by Clayton Riedel’s 18 points. Blake Huxman added 16 points and John Griffith 10 points.
The Trego girls fell to 1-7 with a 42-30 loss. Neither team showed much offense in the win with Plainville leading 21-13 at the half. Trego would score just 17 more points in the second half. Junior Haley Weigel scored 10 points and led the squad with five rebounds. Senior Bailee Fritts also scored 10 points, and junior Addie Zeman finished with nine points. Peyton Desormiers scored the other Trego point.
Hill City
The Ringneck basketball teams fell victim to a sweep at the hands of Phillipsburg on Friday. The Hill City girls move to 3-2 following a 42-34 loss. The Ringnecks led 24-22 at the half of that contest. Phillipsburg battled back for a 30-28 lead after three quarters, then doubled-up Hill City 12-6 in the final frame. The boys gave up two big quarters, outscoring the Panthers 26-21 in the first and third quarters combined, but losing the other two quarters 43-23 in a 64-49 loss. The Ringnecks fall to 2-3 on the year.
Leslie VanLoenen paced the Lady Ringnecks with eight points. Lexie McDowell added seven points.
