CENTERVILLE —
The third-ranked (Class 3A) Centerville boys basketball team trounced South Central Conference opponent Albia 63-39 Tuesday, tying the all-time school record for consecutive wins.
The Big Reds 17th-straight victory tied a mark set by the 1958-59 boys team, whose win streak finally ended with a postseason loss to Ottumwa.
Kolton Gonnerman was at the vanguard of the Big Reds offensive attack, as he poured in a team-high 20 points and Michael Starcevich added 19.
“They [Starcevich and Gonnerman) were reaping the rewards of transition steals and they were also attacking the one-on-one defense [applied by Albia],” Centerville coach Matt Kruzich said.
Logan Dabney chipped in seven points, corralled a team-high 12 rebounds and swatted three shots. Payton Busch passed out a team-best seven assists and Gonnerman came up with three steals.
The Blue Demons put up a spirited resistance in the first half — they never were behind by more than five points and they only trailed Centerville 29-25 at halftime — but the Big Reds came out strong in the second half and turned the game into a rout.
“I will tell you what, Albia played a great first half,” Kruzich said. “They were defending well and they were shooting well.”
The coach said his team’s defense played an essential role in sparking the Big Reds dominant second half performance.
“I Thought we played active defense and held them to one shot on most possessions,” he said.
Tanner Kellogg led Albia with 14 points and Matt Baker added eight and knocked down two 3-pointers.
Albia (11-9, 5-5) plays Moulton-Udell Friday at home in a non-conference game. Centerville (17-1, 9-0) will try to set a new school record Friday when it plays host to SCC opponent Clarke.
Centerville 63, Albia 39
Albi 10 15 4 10 — 39
Cent 13 16 12 22 — 63
Albia (39) — Tanner Kellogg 14, Matt Baker 8, Ryan Sarver 5, Tanner Wynn 4, Gabe Gravert 2, Luke Sarver 2, Blake Bayer 2, Victor Sanders 2. Totals 16 FG 3-4 FT 39.
3-point goals — 4 (Baker 2). Fouled out — None.
Centerville (63) — Kolton Gonnerman 20, Michael Starcevich 19, Logan Dabney 7, Garrett Faris 6, Jared Armington 4, Payton Busch 3, Levi Sebolt 2, Ben Grothe 2. Totals 25 FG 12-16 FT 63.
3-point goals — 1 (Starcevich 1). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — 35 (Dabney 12). Assists — 14 (Busch 7). Steals — 8 (Gonnerman 3). Blocks — 3 (Dabney 3). Total fouls — 13. Turnovers — 10.
Martsching eclipses 400 assist mark in M-U win
Courier sports staff
MOULTON — Kalen Martsching became the second player in the history of the Moulton-Udell boys basketball program to dish out more than 400 assists during the Eagles 82-38 blowout victory over Schuyler County, Mo. Tuesday.
Martsching, however, shined in several different areas in the game. He posted 18 points, passed out a team-best eight assists and came up with seven steals. In addition, M-U’s Kyle Neher scored 18 points and corralled a team-high 13 rebounds and Trey Stansberry chipped in 11 points as the Eagles won the “border war” trophy against their bigger cross-state rivals.
M-U (14-6) plays at Albia Friday in a non-conference game.
Moulton-Udell 82, Schuyler County, Mo. 38
S.C. 7 14 10 7 — 38
M-U 29 22 19 12 — 82
Moulton-Udell (82) — Kalen Martsching 18, Kyle Neher 18, Trey Stansberry 11, Zach Boettcher 8, Grey McCoy 7, Quentin Fowler 6, David Sheets 4, Colt Kirby 4, Logan McCoy 2, Ben Harris 2, Austin Harris 2. Totals 34 FG 13-22 FT 82.
3-point goals — 1 (Martsching). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — 29 (Neher 13). Assists — 24 (Martsching 8). Steals — 20 (Martsching 7). Blocks — 3. Total fouls — 10. Turnovers — 14.
Sports
February 5, 2013
AREA BOYS BASKETBALL ACTION: Centerville ties school record with 17th straight win
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