Picture courtesy of Tanner Colvin

Girls 

The Lady Mustangs entered Friday night with momentum, coming off back-to-back wins against Ark City and Eisenhower. The Lady Mustangs celebrated four seniors on senior night in route to a 60-53 win to complete the season sweep of Goddard.  

The Lady Mustangs got off to a hot start in the first quarter, knocking down four 3-pointers in the opening eight minutes. The defense played well to open the quarter as well, but Goddard was able to knock down some shots late to climb back in the game. At the end of the 1st quarter Salina Central led 15-11.  

The second quarter was another back and forth eight minutes of play, but it was the Lady Mustangs who were able to muster an 11-point lead going into the locker room. Juliet Abbott led the way offensively for the Lady Mustangs with 8 first half points, followed by Lexi Guerrero with 6 points. Goddard was able to stick around thanks to the help of Presley Schmidt who had 12 first half points for the Lady Lions.  

The second half was another competitive half of basketball. Goddard came out of the gates and took an 11-point deficit down to three late in the third quarter. Salina Central ended the third quarter holding on to a 41-36 lead.  

The final eight minutes were dominated by the Lady Mustangs, as they came out swinging, led by two of their seniors. Senior Lexi Guerrero dropped 10 points in the 4th quarter, followed by senior Brooke Banninger who hit 3 three pointers in the quarter to help propel the Lady Mustangs to a 60-53 victory. Salina Central wins its 3rd straight game, tying their longest win streak of the year, improving to 11-10 overall on the year.  

Lady Mustang seniors honored after the game- Lexi Guerrero, Macy O’Hara, Brooke Banninger, and team manager Mckynlee Dunlap.  

Boys 

The Mustangs entered Friday night’s matchup with Goddard carrying a lot of momentum. Four straight wins including a massive victory on Tuesday, put the Mustangs in a favorable position to win a share of the league title for the first time in nine years. Salina Central started the game off hot and never looked back as they dominated Goddard by a final score of 68-31 to win their 5th straight game.  

The Mustangs got off to a quick start on both ends of the ball, going on a 10-2 run to start the ball game off, with 4 of their first 5 buckets coming from 4 different players. Salina Central led 17-5 at the end of the 1st quarter.  

The second quarter was another dominant performance from Salina Central as eight different players hit the floor throughout the quarter. The Mustangs led Goddard 31-13 at the half. Greyson Jones led the scoring for Salina Central with 8 first half points. Senior Noah Peck also recorded 3 blocks in the first half.  

The third quarter is where Salina Central really put the game away, going on a 13-2 run to open the quarter, and ultimately outscoring Goddard 29-10 in the 3rd quarter. The 4th quarter was a running clock as the Mustangs continued to clobber the Lions. Senior Jordan Edwards had his impressive night finishing with 10 points for Central. The Mustangs went on to win by a final score of 68-31, as all 6 seniors for Salina Central made an impact on senior night.  

Mustangs celebrated on Senior Night– Gannon Cole, Thomas Payne, Angel McMurrary, Greyson Jones, Noah Peck, Jordan Edwards.   

The Central boys are now in position to at least win a share of the AVCTL Division II title with either Eisenhower or Andover, if they defeat Newton on Tuesday night.