The Carroll Cougars defeated the Clinton Prairie Gophers 62-40 in the opening round of Sectional 54.
Carroll used its size and speed to take advantage early in the game and never looked back.
The Cougars led 20-7 after the first quarter and 40-12 at halftime.
Senior Jillian Salts finished with a game-high 17 points, 15 coming in the first half. Eliza Rinehart had 14 points and Bryleigh Springer finished with 15 points on four made threes for the Cougars.
Carroll shot the ball efficiently from distance, connecting on 10 three-pointers in the game.
Clinton Prairie’s inexpereince showed, the Gophers have just one senior, Lily Coleman, and start three freshmen.
The Gophers committed several turnovers early against Carroll’s pressure defense, leading to quick scoring on the other end.
Lily Coleman, Alexis Perez and Kenley Cummins helped the Gophers offense get going as they outscored Carroll 28-22 in the second half. All finished in double figures for the Gophers.
The Cougars advance to the Sectional Semifinal with the win and will take on the host school, Bethesda Christian, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Clinton Prairie’s season comes to an end at the hands of the Cougars for the third time in the last four years. But the Gophers will return a majority of their roster and add a talented eighth-grade class.
Coverage of Sectional 54 is brought to you by:
Davis Comfort Solutions
Collisions Unlimited
Milner Community Healthcare
Wampler’s Services, Inc.
Flowers and Friends
The Farmers Bank