12 December, 2023- Central starts off their league play with a win against the Lebanon Warriors Tuesday night.
Starting the season 1-1 with a win against Mountain View and a close loss to Glencoe, the Girls were looking to grab a win at their first home and league game of the year. Seniors Emily Newbeck, Ashley Barba, Tatum Lushenko, McKenzie Wells, and junior Hadley Craig were starters for the Panthers.
The majority of the first quarter plays out as a one-sided duel, the Panthers scoring nearly 10 points before Lebanon can answer back. A total of nine rebounds from the team contributed to the success, and the quarter ended with the Panthers on top, 13-6. Ashley Barba and freshman substitute Isabella Names were the leading scorers with 4 points each.
Central continues to build on their performance as they dive into the second quarter, sustaining the lead until halftime. Both teams scored 19 points between shots and free throws. Emily Newbeck was the leading scorer in the second quarter with 7 points. Craig and Barba were right behind her with 3 points each and Names, Lushenko, and Wells each had 2 points respectively. Wells and Barba also led the quarter with 3 rebounds each. Going into the half, the score was 32-25.
The Warriors came into the third quarter eager to score and proved this by hanging with the Panthers, having the same 7-point deficit going into the fourth. At this point, missed shots by the Panthers became more frequent, and the lead became smaller and smaller. As this was playing out, the Warriors eventually creeped up to steal the lead, prompting the first time all game the Panthers were not on top. With 6:48 left in the game, the score was 50-51, a very close one but still enough to push Central even harder. Scores by Hadley Craig and Ashley Barba shortly after the fact brought the Panthers back on top. Again in the clear, the Panthers dominated and only allowed 7 more points while scoring 25 themselves. The game would end in a win for the Panthers, 75-59.
Hadley Craig finished the game with a double-double, garnering a total of 22 points and 10 rebounds. McKenzie Wells was very close to achieving the feat as well, with 9 points scored and 11 rebounds. Ashley Barba and Bella Names made it to double digits for points with 19 and 12 respectively.
The girls’ last game before winter break is Friday the 15th at Cascade.
All pictures taken by Brielle Lowry.