Cardinals contain Central City to remain alive

COLUMBUS - Even after working on staying aggressive for the past week, sometimes it takes a good halftime speech for practice to make perfect.

Boone Central began applying the week-long mantra of attacking the basket and swarming to the ball with its press in the third quarter to score a 52-48 victory against Central City in the Class C1-6 subdistrict Monday at the Columbus High School gym.

“We didn't quite do what we wanted to in the first half,” Boone Central coach Mike Kennedy said. “We attacked better in the second half. Attacking the defense was the key that got them into foul trouble and got us to the free-throw line.”

The Cardinals will face top-seeded Twin River tonight in the subdistrict semifinals at 6 p.m. at the CHS gym. Lakeview and Scotus Central Catholic will square off in the nightcap at 7:45 p.m.

Against Central City, Boone Central used a full-court trapping defense to distance itself from the Bison during the third quarter. The baseline-to-baseline pressure caused Central City to adjust its press break and bring up 6-foot-1 Jennifer Hefner to handle the ball in the backcourt.

On offense, quick ball movement and dribble penetration created open looks and sent the Cardinals to the free-throw line. In the second half, Boone Central went 13-for-20 after making just three trips to the charity stripe before intermission.

Brittany Luettel led the Cardinals with a 4-for-7 performance on free throws for a team-high 12 points.

“Once we started attacking the zone, we were able to get it to the middle of the zone,” Kennedy said. “From the middle we found people under the basket.”

Instead of relying on free throws for points, the Cardinals went deep for a quick scoring burst during the final two minutes of the first half.

With Central City leading 18-17, Jessica Zabka and Erica Carder connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to put Boone Central back on top and a boost heading into the locker room.

“We needed someone to step up and make a shot,” Kennedy said. “I think we were only getting a shot about every third possession. To hit back-to-back 3s gave us a little lead and gave us some confidence too.”

When Boone Central and Twin River met Dec. 12, the Cardinals spotted the eighth-ranked Titans a 12-point lead. Boone Central rallied to take a 34-29 lead. However, the Titans' height prevailed and they won 57-43.

Kennedy said the rally proved they can play with Twin River, but in order to pull off the upset, the Cardinals have to hold their own against the lengthy Titans with a patchwork of post players.

“We're going to have hope they miss some shots and rebound better than we did tonight,” Kennedy said after Monday's game. “It's going to be tough because we are really, really banged up right now. We have one healthy post player and she's 5-6.”

Central City (6-13) 10 9 10 19 - 48

Boone Cent. (10-11) 9 14 10 19 - 52

n Central City-Nicole Schnitzler 1 0-0 2 2, Lexi Malm 4 4-4 4 12, Emily Maresh 2 0-3 4 4, Sara Shively 2 2-2 5 7, Leah Benson 0 2-2 2 2, Jennifer Hefner 5 10-12 5 20, Taylor Shoemaker 0 1-2 1 1. Totals 14 19-25 23 48.

n Boone Central-Nicole Sherburne 0 2-2 3 2, Jessi Mazour 3 2-2 5 8, Erica Carder 2 0-1 1 5, Julia Temme 2 1-1 1 5, Jessica Zabka 2 1-2 2 6, Stephanie Paulson 1 0-0 1 2, Brittany Luettel 4 4-7 3 12, Emily Wells 2 3-5 2 7, Meredith Bremer 0 0-0 3 0, Kiley Figgner 2 1-3 0 5. Totals 18 14-23 18 52.

n 3-point goals-Central City 1 (Shively), Boone Central 2 (Carder, Zabka).