Bulldogs finish first at Prairie Central Tournament
By Fred Kroner
Led by tournament Most Valuable Player Cayla Koerner, the Mahomet-Seymour girls’ basketball team took first place in the season-opening Prairie Central Hawk Tournament.
Koerner, a senior, amassed 68 points, 29 steals and six rebounds as the Bulldogs were unbeaten in the event.
M-S dispatched host Prairie Central, 47-24, on Thursday (Nov. 18) and then registered two more double-figure wins on Saturday (Nov. 20), overpowering Pontiac, 53-26, and Eureka, 69-54.
Koerner scored a team-high13 points against PC. Nichole Taylor added 10 points to go with seven rebounds. Savannah Orgeron contributed eight points and six rebounds.
Against Pontiac, Koerner and Ivie Juarez each tallied 10 points. Orgeron hit nine points and Chloe Pruitt netted seven points. Taylor hauled down six rebounds.
Against Eureka, Juarez scored a season-high19 points. Taylor chipped in with 14 points, also a season-high, while Durbin Thomas achieved her season-high with 12 points. Orgeron and Pruitt each made eight points. Koerner had eight steals, Taylor had eight rebounds and Abigail Bunting grabbed five rebounds.
Juarez and Orgeron joined Koerner on the all-tournament team. Orgeron had 49 points and 17 rebounds in the tournament while Juarez totaled 45 points and 18 rebounds.
Seven of the 11 Bulldogs who reached the scoring column in the tournament recorded at least one three-pointer. Koerner led the way with 10.
Teammates who also hit from long distance were Bunting, Emma Dallas, Alayna DeWitt, Orgeron, Thomas and Sydney Ward.
M-S (5-0) has a 10-day layout before returning to action on Tuesday (Nov. 30) at Bloomington Central Catholic.
