Central girls create fast breaks to beat Jefferson

By MATT KING
mking@dailyjournalonline.com
PARK HILLS – The Central girls basketball team faced an early 10-point deficit on Tuesday night after too often leaving the Jefferson perimeter shooters unguarded.
But increased defensive urgency from there created an added bonus, as the Lady Rebels turned the majority of their 20 forced turnovers into fast-break scoring chances.
Central steadied itself with an 11-0 run that carried into the second quarter, then netted 10 straight points upon returning from halftime to highlight a 55-44 home win.
Mia Monges compiled a game-high 17 points with four steals to pace the Lady Rebels, who navigate this season with no seniors after graduating four decorated starters.
Katelynn Clark also shined with a double-double, totaling 13 points, 12 rebounds and three steals, and Reese Hulsey added nine points with three steals.
The visiting Blue Jays rallied to within 41-37 after Louise Duepner closed the third stanza and opened the fourth with 3-pointers ahead of another triple by Peyton Guffey.
Clark coaxed in an off-balanced runner while drawing contact, however, and completed the crucial 3-point play to spark a 7-0 answer by Central (2-1).
Monges set up Morgan Populis to finish a 2-on-1 transition attack, and Clark made a subsequent steal and coasted in for another layup.
The Lady Rebels connected on just 11-of-26 free throws, but sank enough down the stretch to protect their victory. Jefferson (1-3) notched nine triples overall, but generated only six foul shots.
Duepner provided 15 points and four steals to pace the Blue Jays, and spent considerable time on the bench after picking up three fouls before intermission.
Central exhibited impressive ball security with only three turnovers through the first 19 minutes, and took a 27-24 lead into the locker room despite a 3-pointer by Guffey in the closing seconds.
Monges began the third period with a personal 6-0 run on a driving layup, baseline jumper and running scoop. Clark made the margin 37-24 by splitting two defenders on an aggressive dribble.
Freshmen Rylee Jones and Hanna Petty each chipped in two field goals off the Central bench, and Mallory Blankenship collected seven rebounds.
Guffey netted 11 points, and Annabelle Richardson secured 12 rebounds for Jefferson, which drained four 3-pointers in the first five minutes after yielding a layup to Hulsey off the opening tip.
Duepner suddenly pulled up and connected after making a clean perimeter steal, and Richardson sank her second from the top of the circle to punctuate a 17-7 start.
Monges countered with a key 3-pointer from the right wing, and Hulsey added a hard-fought putback before turning a steal into an uncontested layup to end the first quarter.
Another second-chance basket by Monges regained the lead at 18-17, and she finished off a bounce pass from Petty in transition to snap a 21-21 tie.
The Lady Rebels, who surrendered only two field goals in the second quarter, will close out the Rotary Shootout at Mineral Area College against Bunker on Saturday night.