Still at less than full strength, CPU girls’ basketball bounces back

MANCHESTER - They've been hampered by the coronavirus quarantine. They lost their first game by 27 points and have been missing their star for more than a week.

Don't worry. The Center Point-Urbana Stormin' Pointers will be just fine.

Tayler Reaves highlighted a 3-point shooting assault, and Class 3A fourth-ranked CPU held West Delaware to two field goals through the first three quarters in a 60-24 Wamac Conference cross-division girls' basketball romp Tuesday night at Seedorff Gymnasium.

'This proves we can still play,” Reaves said. 'Even if we're missing people, we still need to step up.”

The Stormin' Pointers rolled despite the absence of all-state junior Ryley Goebel and Kora Katcher, both of whom are expected to return from quarantine later this week. They were without four players in a deceiving 68-41 loss to Solon last Tuesday.

'We'd love to have them both, but it was interesting to see who would step up,” CPU Coach Philip Klett said. 'We've got a lot of young kids. They did some good things tonight, but we still have a lot to work on.”

Reaves hit 4 of 6 shots from behind the arc, and Alivia Sweeney came off the bench to hit all three of her shots from distance. That helped stake the Stormin' Pointers (1-1, 1-1 Wamac) to a 10-of-18 3-point brigade.

'When we work together and makes those extra passes, it helps a lot,” Reaves said.

The outcome was never in doubt. CPU scored the first seven points of the game, and it was 25-3 before West Delaware (1-1, 0-1) netted its first field goal at the 6:18 mark of the second quarter. The margin was 38-10 at halftime.

Reaves led all scorers with 14 points. Laine Hadsall added 12, Sweeney 11, Ryanne Hansen nine. All four are sophomores.

Aliza Mollenhauer grabbed eight rebounds to help CPU to a 35-22 advantage on the glass.

Ella Koloc posted seven points for West Delaware.

CENTER POINT-URBANA 60, WEST DELAWARE 24

At Manchester

CENTER POINT-URBANA (60): Tayler Reaves 4-6 2-2 14, Laine Hadsall 4-8 2-3 12, Ryanne Hansen 4-6 0-0 9, Emma DeSmet 2-5 1-4 5, Claire Neighbor 1-3 1-2 3, Alivia Sweeney 3-3 2-2 11, Aliza Mollenhauer 1-2 0-0 2, Kailey Spurlock 0-1 2-2 2, Maggie Mathis 1-1 0-0 2, Jaclyn Wooldridge 0-1 0-0 0, Sierra Davis 0-3 0-2 0. Totals 20-39 10-17 60.

WEST DELAWARE (24): Ella Koloc 3-9 1-6 7, Kayla Felton 1-8 2-4 4, Claire Ridenour 0-2 3-4 3, Alivia Schulte 1-3 2-4 4, Kennedy Klostermann 1-4 0-0 3, Mia Peyton 0-4 0-0 0, Erin Hellman 0-2 0-0 0, Keara Emerson 0-0 1-2 1, Lexi Hartman 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 7-33 9-20 24.

Halftime: CPU 38, West Delaware 10. 3-point goals: CPU 10-18 (Reaves 4-6, Hadsall 2-5, Hansen 1-2, Sweeney 3-3, Davis 0-2), West Delaware 1-11 (Felton 0-3, Klostermann 1-4, Peyton 0-4), Team fouls: CPU 17, West Delaware 10. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: CPU 35 (Mollenhauer 8), West Delaware 22 (Koloc, Peyton 5). Assists: CPU 12 (Neighbor 3), West Delaware 1 (Emerson). Steals: CPU 8 (three with 2), West Delaware 11 (Koloc 3). Turnovers: CPU 14, West Delaware 16.

Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com