The Centralia girls couldn't match Elsie Larsen and Strafford down the stretch on Saturday night.
In the penultimate game of the Sophie Cunningham Classic's second of three days at Columbia College, the Class 3 No. 3 Lady Panthers (8-1) lost 67-57 to Class 4 Strafford (11-4), who received votes in the most recent state poll. The reigning player of the year for last year's Class 3 Lady Indians, Larsen, finished with 25 points and nine rebounds to win MVP honors and had 18 points in the second half. Centralia's reigning all-state players Ryenn Gordon and Braylin Brunkhorst had 27 points and 22 points, respectively, and Gordon scored 11 of her points in the fourth quarter. Brunkhorst finished with a double-double by snagging 13 rebounds. Trista VanHorn had 16 points for Strafford, and Brooklyn Adney had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Centralia hosts Class 3 No. 7 Fatima (7-3) at 5:30 p.m. Monday.
Look for the full story in the Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2024, edition of the Mexico Ledger.
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