Saxony Lutheran threatened to upset Scott City in girls basketball action Wednesday.
The Crusaders led after one quarter but couldn't hold on as the Rams emerged with the 53-42 road win.
Katie Hogan led Scott City with 18 points, while Ashley Brant added 13. Stephanie Essner chipped in 11 points. Hogan, Brant and Essner all pulled down eight rebounds for the Rams (12-3).
Brooke Valleroy led the Crusaders with 14 points, while Lauren Hecht added eight.
Scott City 6 19 20 8 -- 53
Saxony 12 6 6 18 -- 42
SCOTT CITY (53) -- Stacey Heisserer 2, Stephanie Essner 11, Melanie Lacey 6, Katie Hogan 18, Macy Heisserer 2, Tiffany Merritt 1, Ashley Brant 13. FG 20, FT 10-18, F 9. (3-pointers: Essner 3. Fouled out: none)
SAXONY LUTHERAN (42) -- Brooke Valleroy 14, Angel Stone 3, Abby Hartmann 6, Natalie Mueller 4, Lauren Hecht 8, Reagan Oberman 7. FG 20, FT 2-4, F 13. (3-pointers: none. Fouled out: none)
The Tigers turned a close game into a rout by outscoring the hosts by 12 points in the third quarter.
"We got in foul trouble in the first half," Central coach Drew Church said. "We got some cheap fouls reaching and that put us in a bind. In the second half, we pressured them a little bit and got out and ran and played a little better."
Andrew Williams and James Lane scored 22 points apiece as Central improved to 11-5. Lane added 13 rebounds, while Williams had five. Blake Ozbun dished out seven assists.
Williams nailed six 3-pointers for the Tigers, who return to action Friday at Poplar Bluff.
Central 14 13 18 13 -- 58
Hillsboro 10 11 6 11 -- 38
CENTRAL (58) -- Blake Ozbun 2, Andrew Williams 22, James Lane 22, Josh Compas 2, Kevin Casasola 4, Zach Boerboom 6. FG 16, FT 8-18, F 18. (3-pointers: Williams 6. Fouled out: none)
HILLSBORO (38) -- Drew Hern 5, Jarrod Huskey 10, Tyler Ludwig 9, David Marti 4, Josh McKee 2, Cody Russell 8. FG 9, FT 8-14, F 15. (3-pointers: Russell 2, Ludwig 2. Fouled out: Ludwig)
-- From staff reports
Connect with the Southeast Missourian Newsroom:
For corrections to this story or other insights for the editor, click here. To submit a letter to the editor, click here. To learn about the Southeast Missourian’s AI Policy, click here.