(February 24th, 2015) – PAULDING: Despite a late run by the Lady Cadets, it was the North Central girls who advanced past the first round of Sectionals.
The contest was a very close one, with the Lady Eagles taking down Hilltop 41-40.
North Central pulled ahead early against their rival, outscoring Hilltop 14-4 in the opening frame. The Cadets weren’t about to be outdone so easily however, as they made a similar run in the second quarter, scoring 14 points to the Eagles’ 6. This led to a a close score at halftime, as North Central clung to a 20-18 advantage.
In the third period, the Lady Eagles were able to expand their lead a bit. They pulled ahead by 7 points, thanks to a 15-10 effort. With just one stanza left to play, North Central had to like their chances of victory. Yet the Lady Cadets were feeling pretty good as well. They finished the game on a furious 12-6 run to try and take the lead. As the final buzzer sounded, they were just 1 field goal shy of doing so.
Sabrina Pickford took charge of the contest for North Central. The Lady Eagle senior scored 18 points in the win, with all 9 of her field goals coming from inside the arc. Sophomore Makayla Hayes added 7 points, while junior Cady VanDeVoorde contributed 6 points from a pair of threes.
It was Bailey Funkhouser who led the Cadets with 10 points. Allie Schmitt and Sydni Rivera each added 8 points in the loss.