(Connor Essegian lifted Central Noble over Westview)

 

In the first game on Wednesday night at Westview, Churubusco used a 26-1 run to blow the game open and defeat Prairie Heights 89-45.

 

Churubusco led for the entirety of the first quarter, but a game Heights team stuck around and eventually took a 19-18 lead after scoring the first five points of the second quarter. It was all downhill from there, as Busco went on a 26-1 run and outscored Prairie Heights 33-3 the last 6:52 of the first half to take a commanding 29 point lead into the locker room.

 

Churubusco's defensive pressure was simply too much, as senior guards Jackson Paul combined for 12 steals on the night. Paul was one rebound shy of a triple-double, notching 18 points and 11 assists to go along with nine boards. Landen Jordan asserted himself against a smaller Panther front line, scoring 27 on 75% shooting from the field and grabbing 17 rebounds.

 

Chase Bachelor led Prairie Heights with 13 points. The Panthers were playing without leading scorer Seth Troyer, as the senior guard was out injured. Senior Gavin Culler scored 12 to join Bachelor in double figures for the losing side.

 

The Eagles move to 19-4 on the season and will face Central Noble in a Friday night semifinal. Prairie Heights finishes their season with a record of 3-19.

 

 

 

 

The nightcap saw 23-1 Central Noble withstand a late charge from host Westview to come away with a 57-49 victory. Connor Essegian led the Cougars with 24 points and 9 rebounds, both team highs.

 

The Cougars controlled the game from the onset, jumping out to an 11-2 lead as Logan Gard turned away a couple of looks from Westview at the rim. Central Noble was ready to blow the game open, but they saw several wide-open three-point attempts miss the mark, as they finished just 4/18 from behind the arc for the night. Junior wing Mason Yoder kept his Westview team in the game by burying back-to-back three-pointers during a critical stretch in the second quarter on his way to 12 first-half points.

 

Westview would regroup in the halftime talk, and switch up their defensive strategy for the final 16 minutes. The Warriors began the third in a triangle and two defense with special attention paid to Connor Essegian and Sawyer Yoder. The Cougars would keep their distance thanks to clever passing leading to layups against the scrambling defense. A Connor Essegian floater just before the horn gave the Cougars a 13 point advantage heading into the final frame.

 

Their lead would reach a peak of 14 points just before the midway point of the final period as Westview answered nearly every Central Noble score, but struggled to prevent the Cougars from finding the bottom of the basket. Some physical play led to a technical called on Connor Essegian, and a subsequent foul saw Mason Yoder go 3/4 from the free-throw line on the possession. The Warriors would cut the 14 point deficit in half in two minutes, and some missed free throws by Essegian and Ryan Schroeder allowed Westview to get it down to four with just under a minute to play.

 

Central Noble would correct their issues at the line, as Essegian and Sawyer Yoder would make six straight in the final 54 seconds to ice the game away. Mason Yoder scored a game-high 26 points for Westview, and he was joined in double figures by Luke Miller with ten.

 

Central Noble moves to 24-1 on the season and will face Churubusco in one semifinal Friday night. Westview finishes their season with a mark of 16-7.

 

Central Noble  14  12  14  17  -  57

Westview        6  12   9  22  -  49

 

Central Noble: Connor Essegian 24 points (9/19 FGs, 2/6 3Ps, 4/6 FTs), 9 rebs, 3 asts; Jackson Andrew 9 points (4/7 FGs, 1/2 FTs), 3 rebs; Sawyer Yoder 9 points (2/7 FGs, 1/3 3Ps, 4/4 FTs), 2 rebs, 2 asts; Logan Gard 8 points (4/8 FGs), 7 rebs, 2 blks; Ryan Schroeder 5 points (2/5 FGs, 1/2 3Ps), 5 rebs, 3 asts; Connor Lemmon 2 points (1/6 FGs)

 

Westview: Mason Yoder 26 points (10/20 FGs, 3/5 3Ps, 3/5 FTs), 2 rebs; Luke Miller 10 points (5/11 FGs), 4 rebs; Brady Yoder 8 points (3/13 FGs, 2/2 FTs), 7 rebs, 2 asts; Lyndon Miller 5 points (2/8 FGs, 1/4 3Ps), 8 rebs, 2 asts, 2 stls

 

Prairie Heights  14   8   8  15  -  45

Churubusco       18  23  16  22  -  89

 

Prairie Heights: Chase Bachelor 13 points (5/14 FGs, 2/6 3Ps, 1/2 FTs), 5 rebs, 2 asts, 2 stls, 2 blks; Gavin Culler 12 points (3/13 FGs, 6/8 FTs), 4 rebs; Isaiah Malone 9 points (4/8 FGs, 1/3 3Ps), 2 rebs, 2 stls; Kamden Leedy 5 points; Logan Hamilton 4 points (1/5 FGs, 2/2 FTs), 3 rebs, 2 asts, 2 stls; Messiah Johnson-Solis 2 points (1/1 FGs), 2 rebs

 

Churubusco: Landen Jordan 27 points (12/16 FGs, 3/6 FTs), 17 rebs, 3 blks; Jackson Paul 18 points (6/10 FGs, 2/3 3Ps, 4/4 FTs), 9 rebs, 11 asts, 5 stls; Luke McClure 12 points (5/10 FGs, 1/4 3Ps, 1/3 FTs), 3 asts, 7 stls; Drew Pliett 12 points (5/10 FGs, 2/5 3Ps), 3 rebs, 3 asts, 2 stls; Evan Love 9 points (4/4 FGs, 1/2 FTs), 4 rebs; Ayden White 5 points (2/5 FGs, 1/2 FTs), 3 rebs; Gavin Huelsenbeck 5 points (5/6 FTs), 2 rebs; Cal Ostrowski 1 point