In a showdown of Class C1 state tournament hopefuls, Boone Central (12-5) was tardy exiting the bus Tuesday, Jan. 24. C1 #5 Central City (16-1) stunned visiting Boone with a 20-0 burst to begin the contest, then fought back determined rally efforts by the game Cardinals to post a 69-55 victory.
Boone was wobbling on the short end of a 22-4 first quarter score, but found its balance from there. Alex Christo knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, scoring eight second quarter points, and the Cardinals outscored Central City 20-14 in the third period as Brant Benes hit two 3-pointers and Parker Borer one. Boone closed the deficit to four points before the Bison built their lead back to double figures, then battled back again to within five. Christo poured in 13 fourth-quarter points, with two more long-range bombs, but Boone simply did not have the time or gas to complete the comeback.
“We had some missed defensive assignments and turned the ball over too much in the first quarter,” Cardinal Coach Justin Harris rued. “Central City shot the ball well. I loved how we battled back after spotting them 20 points.”
Continuing to fight was Friday’s theme, and Boone Central took out some frustration against Mid-State Conference host Battle Creek (6-11).
The Cardinals were the ones to break quickly from the gates, racing to a 20-2 lead after eight minutes of action and building a 32-13 advantage by intermission. A 19-8 run to close the game wrapped up a 64-37 victory.
Ryan Drueppel and Trent Patzel each scored seven points – Drueppel nailing two 3-point shots – to propel Boone’s fast start. Alex Christo led the closing flourish with eight points in the fourth quarter.
“We did an outstanding job of pushing the ball and getting the ball into the paint. We also did a great job of collecting defensive rebounds, especially in the first quarter,” Harris praised. “Ryan Drueppel had one of his best games of the season and Alex finished with a double-double.”
Further details and stats in Print & Online editions of Albion News/Boone County Tribune
