Central gains split at home versus 3A Keys

It was a tale of two games Tuesday night for Class 2A Central versus Class 3A Keys, as the Lady Tigers cruised to an easy victory, while the Tigers ended up on the wrong side of the final count against the No. 11 Cougars

Central 45, Keys 22

It was a commanding performance by the Lady Tigers, who showed heart and determination to overcome the bigger and more experienced Lady Cougars. But Central proved to be the superior team on its home court, emerging with a lopsided 45-22 victory. With the win, Central improved to 5-5 on the season, while Keys fell to 4-7.

The Lady Tigers took control of the game early, outscoring the Lady Cougars 8-4 in the first quarter. The second stanza was more of the same, as the Lady Tigers padded their lead with 7 points to Keys’ 3, taking a 15-7 lead into halftime.

In the second half, the Lady Cougars struggled to keep up with the high-flying Central squad. Despite its best efforts, Keys could only register eight points, while the Lady Tigers poured in 18 points in the third quarter for a 33-13 cushion.

The Lady Tigers continued their dominance in the fourth quarter, adding 12 points to their total to secure the lopsided victory. Central’s Cambriee Bair led all scorers with 14 points, while Ayrland Jiles and Hadliee Woods each added nine, and Avery Warner contributed eight points.

KEYS 4 3 6 9 – 22

CENTRAL 8 7 18 12 – 45

CENTRAL – Cambriee Bair 14, Ayrland Jiles 9, Hadliee Woods 9, Avery Warner 8, Alyssa Harris 3, Haley Cheek 3.

Keys 46, Central 32

It was not the outcome for which the home crowd hoped, but the Tigers fought hard before bowing to 11th-ranked Keys, 46-32.

The Cougars, who had a great night with defensive stops and second-chance shots off rebounds, took full advantage of their superiority to run off from the Tigers.

The Cougars started strong, with Josiah Wolff and Garin Barnes scoring a combined 10 points for a six-point first-quarter advantage. The Tigers fought back in the second stanza, led by Devon Baggs and Aidan Sainer, who scored 11 points to cut into the Cougars’ lead for a 17-15 count by halftime.

In the second half, however, the valiant Tigers struggled to slow down the high-powered Cougars offense. The Cougars outscored the Tigers 16-8 in the third quarter, expanding their lead to 33-23. In the final frame, the Cougars continued to dominate, outscoring their hosts 13-9 to secure the 46-32 victory.

The Tigers received six points apiece from Cade Tucker, Jace Mendenhall and Devon Baggs, while Trenton Nichols of Keys was the game’s top scorer with 16 points.

KEYS 10 7 16 13 – 46

CENTRAL 4 11 8 9 – 32

CENTRAL – Cade Tucker 6, Jace Mendenhall 6, Devon Baggs 6, Connor Walters 5, Aiden Sainer 5, Joseph Lee 2, Noah Buzzard 2.