Connecting on 12 first half three pointers and shooting overall above 50 percent in the first 16 minutes of play, the #7 ranked Salina Central Lady Mustangs cruised to an 83-10 victory over the Arkansas City Lady Bulldogs on Thursday night in their regular season finale at home.
All 13 Central players that suited up for the game saw action and eleven scored with four reaching double figures. The Lady Mustangs connected on 7 three pointers in the first quarter along with a bunch of fast break points from the Lady Bulldog turnovers to take a 34-6 lead after one.
The Arkansas City Lady Bulldogs were no match for the taller, more athletic Mustangs, as they committed 30 turnovers for the game, and over the final 24 minutes of play, it was a 49-4 run that propelled Central to the huge lopsided win.
For most of the second half it was reserve players on the floor for the Lady Mustangs. Central’s junior Aubrie Kierscht led all scorers on the night with15 points, sophomore Mykayla Cunningham dropped in 13, while junior Chaliscia Samilton added 12 and junior Landry Stewart chipped in 11.
For the Lady Bulldogs, it was junior Emma Badley with 5 points.
With the victory, the Lady Mustangs closed out the regular season at 16-4 overall and 10-2 in the District play, while Arkansas City dropped to 0-20. Sub-State action is up next for the two teams, as they await the pairings after the Friday night games.
It was a huge run for most of three quarters and 10 three pointers on the night that helped the Salina Central Mustangs complete a 70-63 upset win over the #11 ranked Arkansas City Bulldogs on Thursday night at home in the regular season final.
It was an absolutely huge night for Central’s junior Nolan Puckett, as he connected on 5 three pointers, four of those coming in the first half to lead all scorers with 25 points.
Central got out to a quick start, with four of their scorers providing the punch to take a 16-12 lead after one. Junior Hayden Vidricksen drained 3 three pointers in the 2nd stanza along with some solid inside play from senior Reed McHenry and more outside scoring from Puckett to carry the Mustangs to a 39-25 lead at intermission.
In the third quarter it continued to be more of the same from Puckett and McHenry with the outside inside game that would carry the Mustangs to a 25 point lead before the Bulldogs would step up their defensive pressure and create more turnovers on Central and cut the lead down to 54-38 at close of three.
Fourth quarter action saw the Bulldogs make a really strong 23-16 run cutting the Mustang lead down to four on two occasions, but better ball handling and key free throws down the stretch propelled them to the 7 point victory.
Leading the scoring for Central was junior Nolan Puckett with 25 points, while senior Reed McHenry recorded another double-double on the season with 22 points and 11 rebounds and junior Hayden Vidricksen added 9 points.
Three players for the Bulldogs recorded double digits, as senior Brock Merz led the way with 14, Hayden O’Toole finished the night with 13 and sophomore Gabe Welch added 11.
Salina Central finished the regular season at 7-13 overall and 3-6 in District play, while the Bulldogs dropped to 13-7 and 5-4 in District action. Both teams will prepare for Sub-State that begins next week.
