By Bob Hamar
bob.hamar@theindependent.com

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Lane Hickenbottom Doniphan-Trumbull senior Aaron Armon fouls Centura senior Garec Monter Monday. The Centurians beat Doniphan-Trumbull to advance in the Class C Sub-district 1-8 basketball tournament. Lane Hickenbottom St. Paulšs Cody Behnk (left) and Wood Riveršs Skyler Wissing scrap for a loose ball Monday during their Class C Sub-district 1-8 tournament game at Grand Island Senior High. Click Thumbnails to View

The Centurions used a "T and chaser" defense with one player shadowing Doniphan-Trumbull's Kelan Buhr and the other four in a 1-1-2 zone. The result couldn't have made head coach Ryan Rathke much happier.

Centura held the Cardinals to six points in the opening half and went on to a 57-33 victory to advance to a subdistrict semifinal tonight against Minden.

"We had a plan, but it takes the players to execute," Rathke said. "I thought our players just did a great job of executing whether it was offense or defense. We had some things we wanted to be doing and our players did a great job of it."

Buhr, Doniphan-Trumbull's leading scorer on the season, had seven points against the Centurions. All seven of those points came in the final quarter.

"We hadn't seen the T-and-chaser they ran all year," Doniphan-Trumbull coach Zac Foster said. "It took us a while to get adjusted to what they were doing. Then when we did get looks, we didn't knock them down.

"Centura is very good at being very diligent on offense. They got a little bit of a lead and they were going to back it out."

The Centurions (9-10) built an 18-6 lead at the half, then came out firing in the third quarter. Alex Monter, Jacob Stutzman and Zeb VanPelt hit 3-pointers to help Centura match their first-half output with 18 points in the third quarter.

Doniphan-Trumbull (12-11) also got things going a bit in the second half. Tyler Fjeldheim scored seven in the third quarter, but the Cardinals still lost ground as Centura built a 36-20 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Rathke said the big key to the game was how his team handled the Doniphan-Trumbull press.

"There was no guarantee we could get a lead, but we thought if we could get a lead we would have to answer to their press," he said. "Our kids did a great job the second half. We hardly ran our half-court offense the second half. We either scored off the press or on free throws."

VanPelt led Centura with 18 points while Alex Monter and Garec Monter added 11 each.

Fjeldheim led the Cardinals with nine points while Aaron Armon added eight. Centura was 18 for 31 from the field while the Cardinals were just 12 for 39.

"The second have we started playing better offensively but we didn't get stops," Foster said. "We did try to pressure and pick up the speed of the game."

"I thought my kids played hard. I thought Ryan's kids played hard thought the difference in the game was knocking down shots. They did a better job than we did."

Rathke said there would be a lot of film studying going on late Tuesday night because he hadn't seen Minden (16-3) this season.

"I know they're an excellent basketball team being the No. 1 seed," Rathke said. "We'll put a plan together and our kids will get ready."

CENTURA 57, DON.-TRUMBULL 33

CENTURA (9-10)

A. Monter 2-5 6-711, Stutzman 2-5 0-0 5, VanPelt 6-11 2-2 18, G. Monter 4-5 3-4 11, Irvine 3-4 2-5 8, Trumler 0-0 1-2 1, DeWitt 1-1 0-0 3, Aitken 0-0 0-0 0, Lemburg 0-0 0-0 0, Larsen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-31 14-20 57.

DONIPHAN-TRUMBULL (12-11)

Buhr 2-6 2-4 7, R. Fjeldheim 0-2 0-0 0, T. Fjeldheim 4-13 0-0 9, Hayman 2-7 0-0 5, Jones 1-4 1-2 3, Neffe 0-0 0-0 0, Lienemann 0-1 0 -0 0, Telecky 0-0 0-0 0, Lau 0-0 0-2 0, Armon 3-3 2-2 8, Lilienthal 0-1 1-2 1, Nelson 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 12-39 6-12 33.

Centura 8 10 18 21 57

Doniphan-Trumbull 4 2 14 13 33

3-Point goals Centura 7-12 (VanPelt 4-7, DeWitt 1-1, A. Monter 1-2, Stutzman 1-2). Doniphan-Trumbull 3-18 (Buhr 1-3, T. Fjeldheim 1-5, Hayman 1-6, Lienemann 0-1, R. Fjeldheim 0-1, Jones 0-2). Fouled out T. Fjeldheim. Rebounds Centura 24 (Irvine 6). Doniphan-Trumbull 26 (Armon 5, Buhr 5). Turnovers Centura 10, Doniphan-Trumbull 12. Total fouls Centura 13, Doniphan-Trumbull 18. Technicals None.

St. Paul 61, Wood River 42

Wood River stayed with St. Paul for much of the game, but nine straight points late inthe final quarter broke things open for the Wildcats.

Just as Centura did in the first game, St. Paul (16-4) used the "T and chaser" defense to slow down the Eagles in the second half.

The Wildcats went to the defense to try and control Wood River's Skylar Wissing.

"It's a good defense if you want to stop one particular player," St. Paul coach Rick Peters said. "He's a good rebounder inside. I thought the kids executed really well. Skylar really hurt us in the first half. We went to it and I thought Louis (Poss) did a good job of it."

Poss, who also had 13 points in the game, harassed the Eagles into several turnovers in the second half.

"Louis did a heck of a job," Peters said. "We just told him when Skylar passes it, just stay on him because they're going to try and get the ball back to him. Louis has those nine-foot arms. It doesn't look like he's going to get the ball, but he had at least four (steals)."

Brett Wells led the Wildcats with 23 points. Wissing had 16 for the Eagles, who ended the season at 3-16.

"We knew the middle of the season that this was going to be a rough road and the character we were going to have to show was how we were going to compete," Wood River coach Kevin Asher said. "I thought our kids never ever let the season bother them in their competitiveness.

"We didn't shoot the ball as well as most teams, but I think our kids showed a competitveness and spirit. That's what high school athletics are all about."

The win moves St. Paul into a subdistrict semifinal against Hastings St. Cecilia (17-2). Peters said it was actually good for his team to get another game in after weather forced the cancellation of the Ravenna game late in the season.

"Like I told the kids, I think it was a really good draw for us to get the third seed because I think we really needed this game," Peters said. "We may be a little more tired than St. Cecilia, but intensity will take over and take care of that a little bit."

ST. PAUL 61, WOOD RIVER 42

WOOD RIVER (3-16)

Rennau 1-9 3-4 5, Wiseman 0-2 0-0 0, S. Wissing 5-11 1-1 16, M. Boshart 0-4 0-0 0, Uhrich 1-1 0-0 3, C. Wissing 1-3 0-0 2, Koelzer 0-2 0-0 0, Dibbern 2-5 1-1 5, L. Boshart 0-1 0-0 0, Koepp 2-4 1-2 5, Smith 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 15-46 7-10 42.

ST. PAUL (16-4)

Behnk 2-7 2-2 7, Poss 5-6 3-6 13, Timmons 2-7 5-5 9, Gay 2-4 2-2 6, Wells 10-21 0-1 23, Larson 0-0 0-0 0, Schilosky 0-1 0-0 0, Rafferty 1-3 0-0 3, Robinson 0-0 0-0 0, Rasmussen 0-2 0-0 0, Stone 0-0 0-0 0, Maddox 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-51 12-16 61.

Wood River 14 11 8 942

St. Paul 15 16 12 1861

3-Point goals Wood River 5-20 (S. Wissing 4-8, Uhrich 1-1, Wiseman 0-1, L. Boshart 0-1, C. Wissing 0-1, Koepp 0-2, M. Boshart 0-2, Koelzer 0-2, Dibbern 0-2). St. Paul 5-17 (Wells 3-7, Rafferty 1-2, Behnk 1-6, Timmons 0-1, Gay 0-1). Fouled out None Rebounds Wood River 31 (Rennau 8). St. Paul 31 (Wells 11). Turnovers Wood River 17, St. Paul 7. Total fouls Wood River 11, St. Paul 15. Technicals None.