Darren Kinnard/River Radio Sports Central
TROY – Rivalry games just hit differently.
Rivalry games for a sectional championship–well, that’s next level drama.
In front of a packed house at Rich Mason Gymnasium, the Centralia Orphan used a pair of big runs to down Mt. Vernon 49-33 to capture the Triad 3A Sectional championship.
The Rams led 13-10 late in the first quarter, but the Orphans scored the final basket of the quarter then outscored Mt. Vernon 14-5 in the second quarter to grab a 26-18 lead at the half, punctuated by Dustyn Collins’ two-handed dunk off a great feed from Logan Meier.
Centralia extended that lead to 11 points in the third quarter, but the Rams closed the deficit to 33-27 on senior Navontae Nesbit Junior’s buzzer-beating putback.
Nesbit got the Rams back with five at 35-30 with 5:39 to go on a three-point play, but Orphans’ senior Cruz Harlan answered with five straight to push the lead to 40-30. Centralia scored 14 of the game’s final 17 points to finish with the 16-point win.
Harlan and Collins led the Orphans with 14 points apiece. Nesbit led the Rams with 13.
Centralia improves to 33-2 and will now face Mt. Zion (34-1) Monday night at 7:45 in the Springfield 3A Supersectional.
Mt. Vernon finishes the season 24-10.
