Central kept things tight in a boys basketball battle with Class 3A No. 1 Guerin Catholic Saturday in Muncie Fieldhouse, but the Golden Eagles ultimately proved to be a bit too much in a 64-54 win.
The Bearcats trailed by just one point at halftime, then the Golden Eagles pushed their lead to five points at the end of the third quarter before winning by 10.
Phillip Corthen led Central’s charge offensively, sinking four 3-pointers and scoring 17 total points. Fellow junior guard Marcus Dukes scored 15 points, and backcourt mate Jamel Barnes netted 12 points for the Bearcats.
Donald Allen led Central (2-3) on the glass with six rebounds. Guerin Catholic (6-0) was led by Christian Munson, who scored a game-high 21 points.
•Monroe Central 53, Wes-Del 46: The Golden Bears led by 15 points at halftime, but Wes-Del fought back. The Warriors got within three points late in the game, but Monroe Central was able to sink some late free throws and hold on.
Saturday’s game was played at Wes-Del, and the victory means Monroe Central improves to 2-0 in Mid-Eastern Conference play. Golden Bears coach Justin Ullom said he expects the MEC race to be wide open, and he said road wins like Saturday’s will prove to be critical in the race.
Monroe Central had three double-figure scorers. Cody Woolf led the way with 15 points, Beau Combs scored 13 points and Israel Nash added 12.
Sam Smoot scored 14 points for Wes-Del and teammate Bryce Marsh scored 11.
•Wapahani 51, South Adams 45: Darryl McKinney had 19 points for the Raiders and was one of three Wapahani players to score in double-figures. Bailey Masters added 12 points and Hayden Castor scored 10. The Raiders built a 10-point lead by the end of the first quarter and led by 15 points at the end of the third quarter. South Adams made a late push but wasn’t able to make up all of the deficit.
•Rushville 62, Blue River 56: Noah Madison led the Vikings with 29 points, and teammate Josh Berry scored 14, but the Lions were able to hang on for a road win.