By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
PIONEER (February 10, 2025) – Although North Central made a number of runs at Emmanuel Christian, the Eagles never overcame an early 12-0 deficit and fell to the Warriors, 67-58 at North Central.
Antwoine Mister, Cedric Hester Jr., and Zalieya Usrey-Martin each netted two buckets during the early salvo that lasted over five minutes of the first.
Tyler Meyers triple at the 2:35 mark of the first finally put the Eagles on the board but the Warriors took a 16-4 margin into the second.
Trenton Douglass scored off a turnover, then found Anton Hegler loose underneath for another hoop, and Meyers canned his second triple of the game to get North Central within 18-11 but Emmanuel Christian regained a 34-22 advantage at half on Donovan Coley’s late three-pointer.
Usrey-Martin laid in a bucket off the lob with 3:30 to go in the third to open a 47-33 lead but North Central rallied again.
Meyers stuck back a miss, and Zack Whitley lowered his shoulder and muscled in a layup to once more slice the Warrior lead to single digits at 49-41 late in the third.
When Emmanuel Christian became very careless with the ball in the fourth, North Central inched closer.
Two hoops in close by Logan Clark and back-to-back baskets by Douglass in transition after turnovers got North Central as close as 59-54 with 2:08 left in the game.
However, the Warriors (9-11) hit 6/6 from the foul line, 4/4 by Mister, in the last 64 seconds to hold off the Eagles.
Meyers had 13 to pace Eagle scorers while Hegler added 12 and Douglass got 11. Mister had 20 to lead all scorers for Emmanuel Christian, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter.
After going just 1/10 in the first quarter, the Eagles (7-13) shot 56 percent the rest of the way. Emmanuel Christian shot an even 50 percent from the floor (29/58).
EMMANUEL CHRISTIAN (67) – Hall 0; Trombley 5; Poellnitz 0; Coley 10; Mister 20; Hester 14; Usrey-Martin 18; Pfaff 0; Rodella 0; Totals: 26-3-6 – 67
NORTH CENTRAL (58) – Hegler 12; Douglass 11; Poynter 2; Meyers 13; Reinbolt 2; Whitley 9; St. John 3; Clark 6; Totals: 21-4-4 – 58
ECHS 16 18 17 16 – 67
NCHS 4 18 19 17 – 58
Junior Varsity: Emmanuel Christian, 30-20