A costly foul on a Battle Creek St. Philip desperation 3-point attempt Wednesday wiped out the possibility of overtime at home for the Centreville girls basketball team.
Madison Hunter’s 15-foot jumper tied the game at 30-30 with 12 seconds remaining in regulation for the Bulldogs, which hopes to buckle down defensively and get to the extra period. St. Philip, after calling timeout with 3.6 seconds to play, got the ball into the hands of Emily Freybler, who drew contact on a shot behind the arc.
She knocked down all three free throws to secure a 33-30 victory over the Bulldogs (1-5).
Bailee May led Centreville with 11 points, three steals and nine rebounds, with Faith Morell adding seven points and six boards. Other contributors included Madison Hunter (six points, six rebounds), Jenna Beeker (four points), Catherine Rigby (two points, two assists) and Mattie Kirby (three steals).
“After struggling in the first half, we came out of the locker room to start the third quarter with a new level of intensity,” Centreville coach Jill Peterson said. “Some of our best basketball in this young season was played in the second half. The girls showed a lot of heart and focus to finish out the game and we came up just short. I’m excited to have a couple weeks to prepare for the second leg of our season.”
Centreville is off until Jan. 8 when it heads to Eau Claire.