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Burlington Central overcomes sluggish start for second win

A warm front is supposed to be on its way, but it bypassed the Burlington Central gym.

The Rockets' girls basketball team came out cold in the first half against Rockford Guilford Wednesday, shooting just 19 percent from the field. It didn't matter much, though, because if the Rockets were chilly, the Vikings were in the deep freeze.

Guilford managed just 3 first-half points while shooting 6 percent. Central led 17-3 at halftime and cruised to a 42-21 victory in the Central Thanksgiving Classic.

Kathryn Schmidt scored 11 of her game-high 15 points in the second half and added 6 rebounds and 6 blocks.

Mackenzie West had 10 points and 9 rebounds, and Elana Wells added 10 points for the Rockets (2-0).

Except for a brief spurt in the third quarter, the Rockets' defense clamped down on Guilford all night, holding the Vikings to 20 percent shooting, forcing 17 turnovers and outrebounding the visitors 37-22.

Reili Gardner and Zoey Kollhoff, among others, harassed the Vikings on the defensive end.

"In general, we clogged everything up, made them shoot bad shots and turn the ball over," said Central coach Mark Smith. "That's one thing that's consistent. We harp on the consistency: you can defend every night. The offense, who knows what that's going to be like from night to night?"

The Rockets doubled their fun. They scored twice as many points as the visitors. They made twice as many 2-point baskets, twice as many 3-pointers, and twice as many free throws.

Central shut the Vikings out for the first quarter and, despite making just 2 field goals themselves, led 7-0 after one.

Guilford didn't notch its first points until Doris Russo hit a short jumper 30 seconds into the second quarter. The Vikings added only a free throw as the Rockets coasted to a 17-3 halftime advantage.

A basket by West and 2 by Gardner extended the lead to 23-3 before Guilford found the range. The Vikings began to work the ball inside as the Rockets were just a bit slow to react. The result was a 12-7 spurt that made it 30-15 near the end of the third quarter. But the Rockets answered with a 6-1 run and never looked back.

The tournament continues Thursday night at both the high school and Central Middle School. The Rockets face Larkin at 7:30 p.m. at Central High.

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