Ohio Division III
Sectional
West Muskingum 59
Monroe Central 37
CAMBRIDGE - Monroe Central had scouted West Muskingum pretty well, or so it thought.
Preparing for a man defense, the Tornadoes came out and mixed all sorts of schemes, which allowed them to surge to a 12-1 lead after one and never look back en route to the Division III Eastern District Tournament next week at Steubenville High School by beating the Seminoles (15-7).
Out of sorts might be an understatement as Monroe Central was 0-for-12 from the field in the first quarter and had eight turnovers.
The Tornadoes got out of the break time and time again and senior pivot Stephanie Imes was the early recipient, scoring the first three buckets.
The Seminoles stared up at a 31-12 deficit at the intermission, but scored the final five of the half and six of the first eight in the third to climb within 15, leading to a Tornado timeout.
In the third, West Muskingum junior Dakota McKenzie scored half of her 12 points to spark a run. West Muskingum also got solid play from sophomore point guard Amisha Herd, who scored 12 points and half a dozen steals.
Monroe Central didn't produce a double-figure scorer. Junior Chelsie Roberts led the way with eight points.
"I am proud of our seniors and I thought we were a fun team to watch," Baker said. "We played together as a team well, and hopefully that trickles down to the younger kids."
The Tornadoes (18-4) will take on Tusky Valley in the district semifinal. Tusky Valley eliminted Harrison Central Wednesday night at Dover.
