STURGIS — The Sturgis girls celebrated senior night on Tuesday, Feb. 10, with a convincing win over visiting Edwardsburg.
The Trojans finished with three seniors in double figures as they ran away from the Eddies, 63-35.
Despite scoring 20 points in the opening quarter, the Trojans felt like they started a bit lagging.
“We started a bit slow in that first quarter, but we picked it up. We got after them a bit and our girls responded well, so I appreciate that,” Sturgis coach Andy Phillips said. “These girls have a great fight in them.”
Sturgis built a 20-10 edge after the first quarter and took a 34-20 lead into halftime.
The third quarter proved to be pivotal in the game. Sturgis connected on shots, played tough on the defensive end and out-scored the Eddies 23-6 to lengthen the lead out quite a bit.
“We wanted to have a good third quarter. It’s a Tuesday night game, senior night, so there are some distractions but I thought we did a good job adjusting and not waiting half a quarter to get it figured out,” Phillips said. “They (Edwardsburg) went to a 2-3 (zone) and caught us off guard a bit, but credit to our girls for adjusting and adapting. I thought we got good shots in that second half.”
Sturgis led 57-26 entering the final eight minutes. There, the Trojans cruised to the victory. Following the game, the five seniors shared a special moment at half court as Kenzie Eicher, Tessa Hatt, Angela Cary, Kinder Smith and Sydney Bir chatted and shared smiles before heading to the locker room.
Bir led the team with 16 points in the game. Smith threw in 15 points and Cary added 14. Cora Phillips scored seven points, Hatt connected for five. Madelyn Oswald put in four points and Addison Eicher scored two.
Sturgis, now 14-2 on the season, is looking to continue to get better as the season winds toward district play.
“We can still improve on defensive rotations. I call it ‘being classy with the basketball’ in how we pass it, with pass-fakes and better decision making,” Phillips said. “We can still improve and continue to have good fundamental passing.”
In the junior varsity game, Sturgis ran away with a big win at 78-16. Oswald led the Trojans in that one with 17 points while Kimora Parker added 16. The Trojan JV team is now 11-4.
White Pigeon wins again
The White Pigeon girls improved to 11-4 overall on the year with a 69-30 win over Marcellus on Tuesday.
The Chiefs finished with four players in double figures during the win. Leading the way was Sadie McDaniel with 15 points, she grabbed nine rebounds as well.
Kadance Smith scored 14 points with six rebounds, Sydney McClure had 14 points and Ava Sowards-Haack added 13 points with four rebounds.
Centreville wins 13th contest
The Centreville girls picked up their 13th win of the season on Tuesday, beating Decatur 38-33.
Emerson Hackett led the Bulldogs to the win, she scored 12 points with five steals. Drew Alexander threw in 11 points with three steals and Berkley Shingledecker added six points with seven rebounds and three steals. Leah Roberts scored five points while Ellie Reed and Lena Reed both scored two points.
Colon beats Howardsville
The Colon girls claimed a close win over Howardsville Christian in prep hoops action on Tuesday, 40-38. Colon out-scored Howardsville 11-5 in the fourth quarter to claim the win.
“It was a back and forth game throughout, but I’m proud of my girls for grinding it out, hitting some clutch shots down the stretch and stepped up the defense to come away with a win,” Colon coach Beth Preston said.
The Magi were led by Lily Preston, she scored 13 points with five assists. Raegan Thaxton added eight points with 11 rebounds and Madi Kulpinski added seven. Ruby Bower scored six, Braelyn Thaxton added four points and Piper Groff scored two.
Constantine cruises to win
The Constantine girls beat up on Benton Harbor Monday night in a 59-5 victory. The Falcons were led in scoring by Jaedyn Herlein, she scored 19 points in the win. Jaelyn Buglione tossed in 15 points and Morgan Niblock added nine points.
Otsego beats Three Rivers
The Otsego girls beat Three Rivers 56-35 in prep hoops action on Tuesday. The Wildcats were led in scoring by Dani Glass with 19, Raja Reyes added eight points and Emmy Quake finished with six.
Contact Sports Editor Brandon Watson at bwatson@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @BwatsonSJ.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Sturgis girls basketball cruises to senior night win over Edwardsburg
Reporting by Brandon Watson, Sturgis Journal / Sturgis Journal
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