Ladybirds log first win of season at Centralia Tournament

CENTRALIA - The No. 5 seed North Callaway Ladybirds obtained their first win of the season late Monday night by downing No. 4 Centralia 55-42 in the first round of the Centralia Tournament.

North Callaway also handed the Lady Panthers their first loss of the season, avenging a 45-39 loss at Centralia on Dec. 2. The Ladybirds owned a 25-20 halftime advantage Monday night and maintained control by outscoring the Lady Panthers 30-22 in the second half.

Sophomore guard Erinn Bush connected for a career-high 15 points to spark three players in double figures for North Callaway (1-3). Senior guard Elaine Brinker also registered 13 points and junior center Bethany Bloss was next with 12.

Brinker handed out eight assists and had five steals, while both she and Bloss grabbed seven rebounds apiece.

"This was definitely a team effort," Ladybirds head coach Matt Miller said. "We played an entire 32 minutes of excellent basketball.

"On the defensive end, we held their scorers way down below their averages. Offensively, we had a lot of players step up their game."

Kailee Chitwood and Alli Massey scored 10 points apiece to guide Centralia (3-1).

North Callaway squares off against top-seeded Boonville in the semifinals at 6 tonight. The Lady Pirates advanced by demolishing No. 8 seed Sturgeon 65-24 in first-round play Monday night.

The Ladybirds defeated Boonville 57-39 for the Centralia title last season.