CENTERBURG — The Trojans are in charge — at least for now.
The chase for the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference girls basketball championship is entering the home stretch and Centerburg has maneuvered into position to defend its title from a year ago.
The Trojans are 8-1 in KMAC play going into Wednesday’s game at Mount Gilead. Centerburg hosts a dangerous East Knox team Saturday.
Centerburg’s only KMAC loss in the first round came at Fredericktown earlier this month. The rematch is scheduled for Jan. 29 at Centerburg.
A lot could happen between now in then in what has become a topsy-turvy title hunt.
Fredericktown is 7-2 in KMAC play with surprising home losses to East Knox and Cardington. The Freddies handled both Centerburg and KMAC newcomer Loudonville. The Redbirds, who reached the Division IV Final Four last season, are 6-2 and in third place.
Fredericktown visits Loudonville on Wednesday in what could be a pivotal showdown. The Freddies won the first meeting 47-34 in December.
The Trojans are getting the job done at both ends of the floor. Centerburg averages a KMAC-leading 55.8 points a game while allowing a conference-low 24.1 points a game.
Centerburg’s Kayla Larimore, who scored her 1,000th career point earlier this season, leads the KMAC in scoring at 22.5 points a game. The senior is one of three Trojans averaging 10 or more points a game.
Junior Tiara Sheppard is good for 11.3 points a night while classmate Kenlee Fairall checks in at 10.1 points a game and leads the conference with 5.4 steals a game.
Fredericktown’s Cally Carpenter, who also topped the 1,000-point plateau earlier this season, ranks second in the KMAC at 16.9 points a game. Carpenter is one of the premier 3-point shooters in the area, knocking down 21-of-66 treys.
Cardington is a dark-horse in the KMAC title chase. The Pirates are 5-4 but have enough offensive firepower to challenge any of the three teams in front of them in the conference standings.
Abigail Hardwick averages 14.5 points and 6.9 rebounds a game, while Jill Bertke goes for 10.1 points and 6.6 boards a night. Kinstin Henthorn has connected on an area-high 40 triples.
Licking County League
Mount Vernon’s first tour through the Licking County League has been a success. The Yellow Jackets are 5-3 in LCL action and sit second behind Granville in the Buckeye Division standings. The Yellow Jackets fell to the Aces 57-39 last week.
Senior forward Kymber Bell has established herself as one of the top scorers in north central Ohio. She had 27 points and 15 rebounds in a win over Marion Harding to close out the 2024 portion of the schedule and had 15 points and 15 boards in a win over River Valley to open 2025.