Picture courtesy of Tanner Colvin

GIRLS FINAL: 

SALINA CENTRAL 66

CAMPUS 41

The Lady Mustangs entered Thursday night’s regular season finale with great form, winning their previous four games by comfortable margins. The streak and their impressive play continued against the Haysville-Campus Lady Colts.

Campus fell into a zone defense to start the game and Central had no problem finding open perimeter shots against it. Grace Ostmeyer got the offense rolling by scoring 15 first half points including three made 3-pointers.

“We love when Grace [Ostmeyer] is aggressive,” said head coach Paige Talbott after the game.

Ostmeyer’s scoring numbers had been down in recent games as she kept her teammates involved, but her aggression was key on Thursday night. After she got going, the whole team began to shoot the lights out. Lexie Guerrero and Katy Wagner both knocked down 3-pointers to help build a 36-21 halftime lead.

Salina Central kept its foot on the gas in the second half and continued to pull away. Brooke Banninger went on an incredible run in the third quarter, scoring 10 of Central’s first 12 points in the frame. She finished with 13 in the third quarter alone and 18 for the game.

Grace Ostmeyer stayed in control in the second half to finish with a game-high 25 points. Guerrero finished with 6, Katy Wagner with 7 and both Juliet Abbott and Macy O’Hara dropped 4.

The Lady Mustangs won their fifth consecutive game to finish the regular season 13-10, a 3-win improvement from last season.

A first round substate matchup against crosstown rival Salina South now awaits. The Lady Mustangs will host the Lady Cougars on Wednesday next week.

BOYS FINAL:

SALINA CENTRAL 70

CAMPUS 53

While the Mustangs may have entered Thursday night red hot, they knew the Campus Colts would give them their best shot.

The Colts were the more aggressive team in the first quarter. Known for pressing and trapping in the backcourt, the Colts forced multiple turnovers and got out in transition to build an early lead.

The Mustangs found themselves trying to match the Colts pace and it was to their detriment. However, trailing 19-12 entering the second quarter is as bad as it got.

They held a steady lead through three quarters after that and clamped down defensively in the fourth, holding the Colts to just seven points in the final frame.

Kaeden Nienke dropped a game-high 29 points for Central and got plenty of help from Greyson Jones who finished with 17 and Grant Ostmeyer who wasn’t too far behind with 14.

The win improved the Mustangs record to 15-8, an impressive 7-win improvement from the previous season. Now the co-champs of the AVCTL Division II will face off with Salina South in the opening round of substate.

It’s been an unforgettable year of games between Central and South, and now the first round of 5A substate basketball will provide two more.