North Decatur got off to a slow start in the contest, made shots were hard to come by and Jac-Cen-Del had repeatedly good looks inside the lane with their dribble drives. Despite the early troubles, North continued to battle alongside the Lady Eagles. Kunz, Allen, and Haley all connected in the first quarter to get the scoring going. Kunz made her living inside dropping in six points. Allen attacked the basket and was awarded with 2 free throws where she made both shots. Meanwhile, Kelsey Haley drilled a long range bomb for 3.
In the second quarter, senior Madelyn Bohman put in a field goal, while Ally Whitaker came off the bench and played very well, finishing 2/2 at the charity stripe. North still trailed by 5 at the break, behind 7 first half points from Hughes for Jac-Cen-Del. Jac led 25-20 after 2 quarters.
The Lady Chargers continued to battle in the second half. Winning the 3rd period by 3 points behind sharpshooter Kelsey Haley who had four triples in the quarter. Kacey Barker also connected on a long range bomb to help keep the Chargers in the game.
The 4th quarter was a good old fashioned period to watch, play, and coach in. Both teams laid everything out on the line. Foul trouble early in the quarter plagued North as Clare Kinker exited the game, despite coming alive offensively with 4 huge points. Bohman added 6 in the period, while Allen had 2 of her own.
Jac-Cen-Del went to the foul line in a 49-49 tie game with under 30 seconds to play. Borgman missed both attempts and Kunz tracked down the rebound in the short corner. North moved the ball into the front court and called time out with 11.9 seconds to play. With 6.9 to go, the Eastern Hancock game hero Kelsey Haley, lined up for a three pointer in the corner. The shot was short and Jac-Cen-Del got the rebound and time out with 2.4 seconds to play.
On the Eagle inbound, the pass was stolen by junior Ella Kunz and North retained possession with .5 on the clock (after some discussion by the officiating crew). Out of the North time out, Haley connected with Kunz on a lob pass on the opposite block, coming off an excellent screen from Rohls. Kunz caught the ball and the shot bounced in as time expired, 51-49 in favor of North Decatur.
This was the first North Decatur win against Jac-Cen-Del since dating back to the 2012-2013 season, where North won 50-41 at home. The win puts North Decatur at 9-4 on the season. Their 6th straight win. The loss drops Jac to 5-6 on the campaign.
Conference play opens up Friday night at Waldron. All fans are encouraged to attend the game.
Scoring Tonight:
Haley 15 points
Kunz 10 points 0/4 FT
Allen 9 points 3/3 FT
Bohman 8 points
Kinker 4 points 2/2 FT
Barker 3 points
A. Whitaker 2 points 2/2 FT
FT: ND 7/13, Jac 12/18