'This was a good start': Salina Central girls open postseason with 60-23 win over Newton

Salina Central's girls took the first step toward a return to the Class 5A state basketball tournament Wednesday night with a dominating performance against Newton.

The top-seeded Mustangs limited Newton to eight points on 17.6% shooting in the first half and cruised to a 60-23 sub-state semifinal victory at the Central gym. They will play host to West No. 8 seed Hays for a sub-state championship and a ticket to state at 6 p.m. Saturday.

"This was a good start," said Central senior guard Aubrie Kierscht, who led all scorers with 19 points. "We came with a lot of energy and we've just got to keep that up going forward."

With the victory, Central remained unbeaten at 21-0.

The ultimate goal for the Mustangs is not only to reach the state tournament, but to play for a championship after falling to eventual runner-up Andover Central last year in the semifinals.

"This was definitely a good stepping stone for the rest of the postseason," said Kierscht, who knocked down 5 of 11 3-pointers in the blowout. "Whoever we play, we have to come with the same mentality, which is to play well on the defensive end as well as on offense."

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Central's defense sparks blowout win

Central coach Chris Fear credited the Mustangs' defense for getting the ball rolling against Newton. They forced seven turnovers in each of the first two quarters while fouling just twice on the way to a 31-8 halftime lead.

"I thought we played really well in the first half," Fear said. "They were taking the air out of the ball a little bit and we were really patient on defense.

"That's what we talked about before the game, being patient on defense and don't reach. We had two fouls in the first half, even with the longer possessions."

Central led 15-5 after one quarter, and after giving up a 3-pointer by Newton's Abigail Koontz to start the second, finished the half on a 16-0 run. Hampton Williams had seven of her 14 points in the period, including a 3-pointer.

"We try to improve every day," said Williams, who also led Central to a 27-22 rebounding advantage with seven. "We talked about using this game as a practice and being our best selves in the moment."

In addition to Kierscht and Williams, Central got 10 points from Mykayla Cunningham, primarily off steals in transition. The Mustangs shot 45.5% for the game and limited Newton to 21.2%.

"When we had the ball (on offense) we were pretty efficient," said Fear, whose Mustangs also were 12 of 14 from the free-throw line. "We only had one or two turnovers (in the first half)."

Central stretched its lead to 53-18 with a 22-point third quarter, triggering a continuous running clock in the fourth.

Hayley Loewen had nine points to lead Newton, which saw its season end at 2-19. Amaree Henderson was the Railers' top rebounder with seven.

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Hays a familiar foe for Mustangs

Central's next opponent is a familiar one. The Mustangs beat Hays, 68-43, on Jan. 28 at Central.

Hays (13-8), the overall No. 8 seed in the West advanced to the sub-state final Wednesday with a 37-35 victory at home against No. 9 Maize South.

Central will face Hays for the second time this season on the same court.

If the Mustangs can get past Hays a second time, it's back to Emporia for the state tournament next week.

"That's definitely what we want to do first," Williams said. "Anything beyond that is an awesome goal.

"We're very anxious to get there. Not anxious, but excited."

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Salina Central girls basketball crushes Newton in 5A sub-state opener