Hawks top Titans; Pontiac's Masching sets single-season scoring mark
FAIRBURY — Although it wasn't the final home game for Prairie Central this season, it was Senior Night for the Hawks' girls' basketball team. Beginning with a gimme basket for Jazmen Karnes, PC was able to roll to a 60-37 victory over El Paso-Gridley in a nonconference battle Thursday at PCHS.
Prairie Central ended its regular season with a 19-7 record after disposing of the Titans. It was a contest where each senior scored for the Hawks. Beginning the scoring was Karnes, who was allowed to score uncontested after not really being able to play due to an injury.
After that, EPG got a basket from Kaylea Randall at the other end to tie the game and then the game got going for real.
Behind Mariya and Chloe Sisco, Prairie Central was able to take control quickly. Marissa Collins provided strong defense as the Hawks built a 17-3 lead and held a 19-8 advantage after the first quarter.
PC's lead was 30-17 by the intermission after the Titans scored the final seven points of the half.
Karnes and the Siscos each scored in the first half and Collins joined her classmates with her first basket in the third frame. Louisa Moser made the scoring column in the final frame to complete the board with all five seniors chalking up points.
Prairie Central increased its advantage by four points in the third stanza with a 16-12 difference to make it 46-29 heading into the homestretch.
Chloe Sisco hit for 20 points to lead Prairie Central (19-7) and Mariya Sisco added 12 points and 8 rebounds. Collins added 7 points with Moser, Carmen Gradberg and Kelly Wilkey each tossing in 4 points. Lucy Whitfill threw in 3 markers and Karnes, Sawyer Ashman and Addison Huber had 2 points apiece.
Freshman Myli Ehrhardt paced El Paso-Gridley (9-17) with 16 points. Randall added 13 points and grabbed 10 boards for a double double. Abriel Smith added 4 points, Mindy Steiner had 2 points and Maci Ehrhardt and Madi Ehrhardt each scored 1 point.
EPG will open regional play Saturday at Herscher. The winner of that game will take on regional host Prairie Central Tuesday.
Pontiac 61, Streator 32
Bailey Masching established a new family and school mark for points in a season as the Pontiac junior led the Indians to a 61-32 nonconference victory over Streator Thursday night.
Masching scored 30 points to reach 601 points for the season, a new single-season high for the girls' program. Masching's effort pushed her past her mother into the top spot. Lindsay (Dodson) Masching held the previous mark.
Bailey Masching, who also recently surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her career, will look to add to her total Saturday when the Tribe travels to Coal City for a Class 2A Prairie Central Regional first-round contest.
Against Streator, Masching and Mackenzie Coates did damage early as the Tribe built a 17-6 advantage in the first quarter. The two combined for 13 points. Masching led a quintet of Indians in the second frame with six points as the margin widened to 32-19.
A 14-6 difference in the third period put the game away for PTHS. Masching added six points in the third and tallied 10 in the last lap as the Tribe pulled away.
Masching finished with 30 points and Coates chipped in 11 points. Olivia Lindsey chalked up 8 points, Brianna Hilleary and Morgan Dewald scored 4 points apiece while Makyah Hartfield and Miller had 2 points each.
Fieldcrest 83, Princeton 39
MINONK — A game that was anticipated to be stern test before the postseason for Fieldcrest turned out to be a laugher as the Knights cruised to an 83-39 victory over Princeton Thursday in a battle of state-ranked teams.
Kaitlin White was celebrating her birthday and finished the evening with five 3-pointers to pace Class 2A No. 6 Fieldcrest. White was a catalyst for the Knights as they poured in 29 points in the first quarter as the home team built a 29-14 lead.
Fieldcrest stuffed Princeton, ranked 11th in Class 2A, by outscoring the Tigers 29-5 in the second quarter. White drilled four treys in the quarter and the Knights held a 58-19 halftime advantage.
Carolyn Megow was virtually matching White point-for-point as the Knights put the game away.
White had 21 points and Megow checked in with 20 as the Knights ended the regular season at 28-3. Riley Burton threw in 13 points, Macy Gochanour tallied 10 markers and Ashlyn May had 8 points. Haley Carver scored 6 points, Pru Mangan and Morgan Gerdes each had 2 points and Aliah Celis had 1 point.
Camryn Driscoll scored 10 points for Princeton (26-4).
Fieldcrest, who finished fourth in Class 2A last year, will be taking its first step at trying to return to the state finals on Tuesday when the top-seeded Knights will face the winner of the Wilmington-Manteno first-round contest at the Wilmington Regional.
This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Hawks top Titans; Pontiac's Masching sets single-season scoring mark
