By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The Cair Paravel girls faced another tough test Tuesday when the Centralia Panthers – ranked third in Class 1A Div. I – came to Topeka. The Lions hung tough for a half but fell off the pace and lost 58-22.
The Lions have been tested by some of the best small school programs in the state, including Wabaunsee, which sits one spot ahead of Centralia in the 1A-I rankings. On Tuesday, Centralia applied a stifling press to the Lions to add its twelfth victory against just two losses on the season. Junior Josie Haverkamp led the Panthers with 22 points on 9-16 shooting.
“It’s always fun (playing Centralia). It’s always a good challenge,” said Cair Paravel coach Jaley Barkley. “It’s tough playing teams that press the whole game. We’ve seen Wabaunsee do a run-and-gun trap against us. Osage City kind of presses. So, we’ve seen it a lot. But I think it’s good for the girls to learn how to adapt. There will be turnovers that come with it, but it helps them learn and grow a lot.”
Barkley hopes that the experience of playing top-ranked teams will pay dividends later in the season.
“There are games on the schedule that I think will be good matchups for us,” Barkley said. “So, I think the hard teams that we’ve faced has allowed us to learn some lessons that will hopefully allow us to be victorious.”
The Lions fell to 5-9 with the loss Tuesday. Their top offensive threat, London Backman, had trouble getting free for shot attempts against the Panthers. She finished with just three points. Junior Becca Gateley led the Lions with eight points.
CENTRALIA GIRLS 58, CAIR PARAVEL 22
Centralia 13 15 22 8 -- 58
Cair Paravel 4 10 4 4 -- 22
Centralia (12-2) – Kramer 4-15 1-2 10, Thompson 2-3 1-2 5, Rempe 1-5 0-0 3, Gibbs 1-8 2-2 4, Haverkamp 9-16 4-6 22, Becker 5-7 4-10 14, Tanking 0-0 0-0 0, Heinen 0-1 0-0 0, Niehaus 0-0 0-0 0, Franklin 0-1 0-0 0, McKee 0-0 0-0 0, Osterhaus 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-57 12-22 58.
Cair Paravel (5-9) – Hastert 3-7 0-0 6, Donaldson 0-4 0-2 0, Gateley 3-5 1-1 8, Chada 0-3 0-0 0, Backman 1-8 0-0 3, Wehlshans 2-4 0-0 4, Rosenow 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 9-31 2-5 22.
3-point goals – Centralia 2 (Kramer, Rempe), Cair Paravel 2 (Gateley, Backman). Total fouls – Centralia 7, Cair Paravel 18. Fouled out – Backman. Technical fouls – None.
