Burlington Central nails down tournament title

Machesney Park Harlem may have entered Tuesday's championship game of the Burlington Central Thanksgiving Classic with an undefeated record but that was still no match for the host team's determination and play.

Led by seniors, Burlington Central's girls basketball team gained a double-digit lead by halftime and never looked back en route to a 53-31 triumph that enabled the Rockets to keep their own tournament's first-place trophy for the third straight year.

"We played well, crisp execution, rebounded well, you do those things well and you will win," Central coach Mark Smith said with satisfaction. "Our five seniors know this is their last year, their last Thanksgiving tournament, and so on, they are just so determined."

Harlem (4-1) had a pair of 2-point leads to start, but Central (3-0) sandwiched surges of 7-0 and 6-0 around the Huskies' lone 3-pointer to jump to a 15-7 lead after one quarter.

Shelby Holt nailed her second and third 3-pointers before halftime to help the Rockets jump to a 31-15 intermission edge.

"That's my spot," Holt said of her corner bombs. "When you let go, you know it feels good and that swish sound is the best. Winning this tourney is the first step of many for us. Playing good teams helps us figure out where we're at as a team and what to work on."

The Rockets didn't have to work on too much after outscoring their foes 16-7 in the third quarter. Central closed that quarter matching its game-high lead of 25 twice, including the 47-22 tally heading into the final eight minutes.

Sam Pryor finished with 17 points to go with Holt's 16 and BC got 10 more from Rebecca Gerke. Pryor, Holt and Kayla Ross were named to the all-tournament team for the hosts.

"It's cool to win our tournament and knowing Harlem is a good team helped us come ready to play," Pryor added. "The main thing is I'm lucky to play with a really great group."

Harlem's lone double-figure scorer with 17 points was McKaela Schmeizer, who earned all-tournament honors along with teammates Jessica Dahle and Catie Daily.