Thursday night, Grand Island Central Catholic did, and Grand Island Northwest didn't, as the Crusaders downed their crosstown rivals, 53-19.

Central Catholic (17-6) did what it's done all season, which was rely on the inside game of Alicia Statler and the open court talents of Tali Fredrickson. Neither disappointed, as Statler finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds, while Fredrickson ended with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Central Catholic coach Andy Anspauch gave his team credit for rising to the moment against the Vikings.

"We talked before the game about it," he said. "It sounds cliche, but you do have to throw the records out in a game like this. We waned to come out motivated and play with intensity. I think we were able to establish ourselves early, and we showed who was going to be in control of the game. I really thought that the girls did a great job maintaining that intensity all night."

Meanwhile, the Vikings (2-13) struggled to keep pace. Northwest struggled with turnovers in the early going, then suffered through a dismal night from the field, hitting only 8-of-45 attempts. Northwest was getting looks inside in the first half, but saw shot after shot roll or bounce out, and while the Crusaders feasted on offensive rebounds, Northwest found very little success inside the paint.

"Central Catholic is an outstanding team with great athleticism, and you saw that tonight" Northwest coach Russ Moerer said. "They have some girls that we just don't have an answer for. We attacked them inside the way we wanted. If a couple of those shots fall it's a much closer game at half. We just had a lot of shots roll in and out tonight.

"We got some good looks against a great team. When you work that hard to get open, though, you have to convert your opportunities and we didn't."

The Crusaders were able to take a 10-point lead into the second quarter, as Central Catholic finished with a seven point flurry. Statler hit a jumper from the wing, followed by an inside bucket from Jamie Partington off a great asssist from Carrie Galloway. Fredrickson followed with her lone three of the night to put the Crusaders on top 14-4. Statler continued to dominate the second quarter, scoring the first nine points for Central Catholic before Fredrickson again finished the quarter, this time on an inside basket off a feed from Maureen Stump.

The Vikings came out much stronger in the third period, keeping pace with the Crusaders. Northwest had its strongest showing of the night midway through the third with a seven-point run. Amelia Boehler hit the first bucket, followed by a three from Jenna Rouzee. Taylor Johnson added one more, but Central Catholic still doubled Northwest after three at 36-18.

The fourth quarter saw the Crusaders brutally regain control of things as they outscored Northwest 17-1 the rest of the way. The Vikings were held scoreless the final five and a half minutes of the game, as literally nothing fell their way.

"Alicia had a great game for us," Anspauch noted. "But that was due in large part to Tali and Maureen having great post entry passes. They've done a great job all year. Maureen isn't flashy, but she is one of those players who's always in the right place and is able to execute what we ask her to."

GRAND ISLAND CENTRAL CATHOLIC 53, GRAND ISLAND NORTHWEST 19

NORTHWEST (2-13)

Helgoth 1-5 0-0 2, Berry 0-2 0-0 0, Havranek 0-2 0-0 0, Birch 0-4 0-0 0, Rouzee 2-7 0-0 5, Stoltenberg 3-10 1-2 7, Myers 0-2 0-2 0, Johnson 1-2 1-2 3, Schacher 0-4 0-0 0, Boehler 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 8-45 2-6 19.

CENTRAL CATHOLIC (17-6)

Moravec 0-1 0-0 0, Jacobson 0-1 0-0 0, Stump 1-7 0-0 2, Fredrickson 6-14 3-5 16, Merithew 0-1 0-0 0, Galloway 1-1 0-0 2, Ross 1-3 0-0 3, McGowan 0-2 0-0 0, Partington 1-1 0-0 2, Statler 9-17 10-13 28. Totals 19-48 13-18 53.

Northwest 4 4 10 119

Central Catholic 14 11 11 1753

3-Point goalsNorthwest 1-9 (Helgoth 0-3, Berry 0-1, Birch 0-1, Rouzee 1-2, Myers 0-1, Johnson 0-1), GICC 2-16 (Moravec 0-1, Stump 0-4, Fredrickson 1-7, Merithew 0-1, Ross 1-1, McGowan 0-2). Fouled outNone. ReboundsNorthwest 27 (Stoltenberg 5), GICC 33 (Statler 11, Fredrickson 10). AssistsNorthwest 3 (Rouzee 2), GICC 15 (Stump 6). TurnoversNorthwest 17, GICC 7. Total foulsNorthwest 13, GICC 8. TechnicalsNone.

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