To make it back to familiar territory, the Centralia girls had to conquer unfamiliar territory on Monday.
The state No. 2 Lady Panthers played No. 9 Dixon for the first time in a Class 3 …
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To make it back to familiar territory, the Centralia girls had to conquer unfamiliar territory on Monday.
The state No. 2 Lady Panthers played No. 9 Dixon for the first time in a Class 3 sectional game in Linn and won 48-24 to advance to their third straight quarterfinals and earn a rematch with No. 1 Principia (27-2) at 6 p.m. tonight in Fulton. Centralia (26-3) held Dixon (22-7) to its season-low, which was the fourth time in six games it held an opponent to under 30 points.
Head coach Megan Brinkmann said Centralia scouted Dixon prior to Monday but wouldn’t truly know specifics like speed until they were on the same court. She said the Lady Panthers settled in well by taking a 28-10 halftime lead.
“We definitely knew (Inez Ballard) really started their defense with drive and kick so she needs to get to the rim,” Brinkmann said. “I like how we got to put multiple people on her. Braylin’s (Brunkhorst) size, Brooklyn (Hardin) and then Ryenn (Gordon) kept us fresh a little bit, and I thought we were really physical as well.”
Ballard finished with eight points to be Dixon’s second-leading scorer behind Jordyn Young’s 10 points. The Lady Bulldogs had their best season in 13 years and their first winning season since 2019 but looked uncertain on offense. They didn't attempt a free throw until two in the fourth quarter, which pleased Brinkmann after she thought Father Tolton went to the line too much in Centralia’s district championship victory.
Braylin Brunkhorst led Centralia with 17 points and three steals, Ryenn Gordon followed with 14 points and four assists, and Blakely Sowers had seven points. Brunkhorst scored nine points in the first quarter after what she called a “difficult” leadup to the game while preparing for an unfamiliar opponent.
“They don’t even play any teams that we play,” Brunkhorst said. “It was kind of like a rabbit hole — the team that they played played the team that we played. We had a great practice from yesterday and worked out some stuff from the scouting report.”
Brunkhorst said the Lady Panthers know “nothing’s guaranteed at this point.” Despite all the wide margins of victory, she said Centralia is focused on playing together to seize this opportunity in the postseason and they really came together well on defense.
“Our team chemistry and hard work and everyone truly does want the best for each other and has one goal,” Brunkhorst said. “Tonight, it showed on the court. We’re here to prove that we deserve to be in that Final Four spot.”
Brinkmann complimented the good 3-2 zone that Dixon plays even with its roster of seven underclassmen. She said the Lady Bulldogs are athletic and can tip passes.
Centralia took advantage with some points off turnovers and scored on some slick inbound passes by Ealynne Bostick, who had four assists. For the most part, Brinkmann said the Lady Panthers made enough great plays.
“We finished at the rim, we sliced really well, we passed out of (the zone) really well,” Brinkmann said. “I said tonight was a full 32 minutes, and I thought we did that from start to finish.”
The victory sets up a rematch between the top two in the state as Centralia looks for revenge from last year’s 47-41 quarterfinal loss to Principia, who went on to be the state runner-up for the second straight season.
Brinkmann said every game in the postseason is tough and that it took her a while in her career to make it past sectionals. Now Centralia has accomplished that three consecutive years, she said the team needs to continue taking it “day-by-day” and “game-by-game” to keep its season alive.
“Who wouldn’t want a rematch and see if they have gotten better throughout a year?” Brinkmann said. “We’re going to take care of ourselves, figure out a plan and try to execute the best way we can.”
Brunkhorst said the Lady Panthers have been wanting another chance in the quarterfinals and hope all of their effort pays off.
“We talked about this at the beginning of the season,” Brunkhorst said. “We’re going to get back to where we were last year and hopefully go further. All this hard work and everything, I’m overcome with emotions right now. It’s really paying off.”
