CENTERBURG — What happens when a basketball team loaded with talent and experience clicks on all cylinders, never lets up and plays unselfishly?
You get a final score of 102-25.
For the second time in as many seasons, the Centerburg Trojans hit the century mark in points, nearly besting last year’s 104 point total with a 102-point performance against Columbus School for Girls in the semifinal of the Shelley Whited Holiday Classic on Wednesday.
The Unicorns, district finalists last year, were overwhelmed and overmatched from the beginning. Centerburg (7-1) started off on a full-court press which was so successful that CSG failed to get the ball past half court in six of its first 10 possessions.
Three-point baskets by Claire Harvey and Mackenzie Stoyle, followed by baskets by Carly Compton and Mikaela Weldy, put Centerburg ahead, 13-0. After a timeout, Breanna Campbell and Macy Michel forced consecutive turnovers on inbounds passes, with both dishing the ball to Tristen Simpson for easy layups.
“We were very relaxed when we shot the ball,” said Centerburg head coach Todd Nauman, whose team went 42-for-78 (54 percent) from the field. “There wasn’t a sense of urgency or a sense of stress. They played the way you want to play.”
