Central wins home opener twin bill against rival Gans

JIM CAMERON SPORTS WRITER

The Class 2A Central Tigers and Lady Tigers each won their first game of the year Friday in their home opener against neighboring rival Gans, bringing a wellearned win to both young programs.

Central boys 56, Gans 51

Centralʼs Aiden Sainer led the offense, scoring 18 points during the close contest between the Tigers and the Class A Gans Grizzlies.

Sainer and Jace Mendenhall scored six and four points, respectively, in the opening quarter, giving Central a slim 15-13 lead at the end of the first stanza. Gansʼ Nakota White and Logan Weese registered four points each, helping the Grizzlies keep it a close game.

In the second stanza, Sainer and Connor Walters scored eight and five points apiece to help the Tigers keep their slim two-point lead going into the locker room at halftime. Weese led the way for Gans in the second quarter, scoring 10 points. A trey by Mason Clifton kept the Grizzlies in the game, trailing Central 30-28 at halftime.

Centralʼs Isaac Rogers added six points in the third quarter, and Joseph Lee got four points on the board along with two apiece from Cade Tucker and Sainer for the Tigers. Gans trailed by a lone point in the third stanza as, Weeseʼs eight points combined with a trey from Clifton and a field goal by White.

Weese and White scored seven and three points, respectively, in the final frame for the Grizzlies. Meanwhile, Walters made four points, Lee and Devon Baggs added three points apiece and Sainer hit two free throws to finish the game.

Sainer and Walters got to double digits in scoring, with Weese and White breaking the double-digit barrier as well. Weese scored a game-high 29 points with four treys on the night.

Next up, the Grizzlies host Cave Springs at 7:15 p.m. Thursday.

The Central Tigers have a packed schedule, with three games on the road this week, starting with Howe on Tuesday followed by Quinton at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Westville at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Central girls 62, Gans 12

The Lady Tigers were on fire during Fridayʼs opening stanza in their home opener against local rival Gans, with top scorer Haley Cheek registering 14 points for the contest.

Central hit the ground running, with Cambree Blair registering eight points, followed by Ayrland Jiles with seven, Hadlie Woods with six and Cheek contributing four to the Tigersʼ 29 points for the first quarter. Gans struggled against an impressive Tigers defense that managed to keep the Lady Grizzlies off the scoreboard making Centralʼs lead 29-0 after one quarter.

The Lady Tigersʼ Cheyenne Busch, Avery Warner, Blaire and Cheek all scored two points each in the second quarter. Melania Paniagua made a free throw to get Gans on the board before halftime, with Central leading 37-1 going into the locker rooms.

Gansʼ KʼCee Osburn, Emily Phillips and Makenzy Hunter each made two points in the third period for the Lady Grizzlies. Jiles made five points for the Lady Tigers, with Cheek registering four and Woods, Warner and Blaire getting two apiece.

Cheek made four points, along with two points each by Autumn Cernicek, Cheyenne Busch and Elizabeth Ortiz for Central in the final frame. Destiny Phillips sank a three-pointer and Brianna Burris made two from the line for the Lady Grizzlies to finish the game.

The Central Lady Tigers have three pre-holiday break road games scheduled this week, including Howe at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, followed by Quinton at 6 p.m. Thursday and Westville at 6 p.m. Friday.

The Lady Grizzlies host Cave Springs at 6 p.m. Thursday.