Salina Central junior Ethan Speer racked up a season-high 16 points on Tuesday.
His encore was even better.
The 6’3″ forward poured in a career-high 20 points, Central’s defense only let one Salthawk reach double-figures and the Mustangs cruised by Hutchinson 54-33 to open AVCTL-I play.
Hutchinson stayed fairly close to Central in the first quarter as both teams stared at a 7-7 tie. Junior guard Ben Driver sparked the Stangs with offensive rebounds and the team exploded for a 19-3 run to go up 26-10. After leading 30-17 at halftime, the Mustangs ballooned the margin out to 23 points as Speer had eight in the third period.
Junior guard Harper Williams chipped in 10 points, all coming in the first half. Hutch senior Max Ontjes was the lone double-digit scorer with 18. Central didn’t allow him to get much help as senior Tre’Vaughn Jones was the next leader with two threes.
Central (3-0, 1-0 AVCTL-I) turns its attention to Derby on Tuesday. The monster showdown at the Brickhouse begins with coverage at 5:45 on Sports Radio 1150 KSAL.
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HUTCHINSON 41, CENTRAL 35
Salina Central didn’t allow a point for a good portion of the quarter. Hutch’s first bucket came at the 3:05 mark, but the Salthawks trailed 10-7 after one period.
Following a 15-9 deficit, Hutch limited the Mustangs to one point while putting up 13, building a 22-16 halftime lead in the process. A combined nine points were put on the board in the third frame, and while Central had seven, the Mustangs still were behind 24-23.
Central forced nine fouls in the third quarter, but couldn’t cash in at the foul line, going 7-of-18 for the game. Juniors Delaney Nash and Selah Merkle had a pair of threes to trim the deficit to 34-33. Hutch’s response was a couple buckets by senior Kasey Hazell, giving the Salthawks the victory.
Hazell had a game-high 14 points, only scoring in the second and fourth quarters. Sophomore Gabbie Posch rattled in three triples for 11 points. Central’s Merkle had 11 points to pace the Mustangs while senior Elisa Backes was limited to 10 points on three field goals.
Salina Central (2-1, 0-1 AVCTL-I) welcomes Derby on Tuesday.
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