Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
Central's Hunter Klotz reacts at the buzzer as the Dragons fall 48-46 at Tyrone in a District 6 Class 4A Playoff game on Feb. 19. Tyrone rallied from nine down in the fourth quarter to pull out the victory.
Central's Braden Kitt drives the baseline on Tyrone's Brandon Lucas on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at Tyrone High School.
Central's Eli Lingenfelter is defended by Tyrone's Cortlynd Rhoades (left) and Damon Gripp on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at Tyrone High School.
Central's Hunter Klotz is defended by Tyrone's Cortlynd Rhoades on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at Tyrone High School.
Central's Braden Kitt shoots over Tyrone's Jerry Brumbaugh on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at Tyrone High School.
After losing two lopsided games to Mountain League rival Tyrone during the regular season, the Central Dragons hoped the third time would be the charm in the opening round of the District 6 Class 4A playoffs. Tyrone was seeded second and the Dragons third; therefore Tyrone had the home-court advantage on Wednesday, Feb. 19.
Defense dominated play for both teams and the Dragons held a slim 6-5 advantage after one quarter. The lead spread to 17-11 at intermission with Central's defense totally stifling its opponent.
The offenses picked up the pace in the third frame, with the Golden Eagles outscoring Central 17-15 to cut the lead to four points. The Dragons started the final quarter on fire, eventually taking a nine-point advantage, 40-31, before Tyrone responded. From that point to the end, Tyrone would connect on five 3-point shots and a pair of foul shots while holding the Dragons to just six points to steal a 48-46 victory.
Senior Braden Kitt paced the Dragons with 17 points and also grabbed nine rebounds. Junior Hunter Klotz also hit double figures with 10 points, while senior Jacob Eberlin had five points. A pair of underclassmen, Eli Lingenfelter (six) and Devon Boyles (five) combined for 11 points.
The Dragons connected on 19 of their 37 shots from the floor but hit just 5 of 10 from the charity stripe. Tyrone won the game from the 3-point line, connecting on 10 shots compared to three by Central.
"This was a tough loss to take," Central coach Paul Frederick said. "After losing to them so badly during the regular season the guys worked and prepared for this game and really felt we would win. They made the shots down the stretch to win so give them credit.
"We'll miss these four seniors, but I'm also excited about the returning players we will have and others in our junior high program."
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