Wilmington, OH----- Centre and Wilmington were locked in a 16-16 tie after the opening quarter; this quarter set the tone for a competitive matchup, as it featured fast-paced, back-and-forth scoring on both sides.
Centre got started early from
Ryleigh Campbell, who knocked down a three, and
Lilly Reid, who scored inside and from deep. Wilmington countered with strong interior play from Ashton Harris and timely perimeter shooting, highlighted with a three-pointer from Gabby Russell.
Wilmington gained momentum early in the second quarter, forcing multiple Centre turnovers and capitalizing in transition, behind interior scoring from Ashton Harris and a well-timed three-pointer from Sierra McCoin.
Centre was able to counter with baskets from Reid, a three from Campbell, and a layup from
Tessa Miles late in the quarter, which the key foul drawn by KaNiah Edelen aided and brought the score back to the deadlocked tie 31-31 going into halftime.
Coming into the second half, Centre came out strong with scoring plays from KaNiah Edelen and
Arin Nipp, and
Lindsay Jessie controlling the boards on defense.
Trinity Armour also got in on the action with scoring drives on the inside, keeping Centre in the game despite Wilmington's pressure.
Sierra McCoin was heavily leaned on for the Quakers as she nailed down several crucial three-pointers throughout the quarter to keep the game close. It was all up to the fourth quarter as this game remained tied at the end of each quarter.
The fourth quarter was a tense, back-and-forth battle, with both teams exchanging baskets and key defensive stops. Centre's Reid kept a consistent attack on the rim and snagged steals to keep Centre in it.
Â
