PLAINVILLE – The TMP-Marian boys and girls basketball teams earned a pair of hard fought wins Friday to earn a spot in Saturday’s Mid-Continent League tournament final.
Girls: TMP 52, Smith Center 50
The TMP (8-2, 5-0 MCL) girls traded basketball all game long with the sixth ranked Smith Center Lady Red (8-2, 5-0 MCL) but a Jaci VonLintel rebound and put-back in the closing second of the game lifted TMP to the 52-50 win.
The first quarter featured four ties and four lead changes as the TMP and Smith Center traded baskets back and forth. The Lady Red closed the first quarter on a 9-2 run to take their largest lead of the game at five, 14-9 into through one quarter of action.
After trailing by five at the end of the first quarter TMP flipped the lead around in the second outscoring Smith Center 17-7. TMP hit three three pointers in the quarter including Megan Hamels at the end of the quarter to put TMP up 26-21.
The Monarchs opened their biggest lead of the game at 29-21 on a second straight Hamel three to open the third quarter but Smith Center had an answer.
The Lady Red put together a 14-5 run to give them a brief one-point lead but Sophia Balthazar hit a three at the end of the third quarter to put TMP up 37-35.
Neither team was able to gain the upper hand in the fourth quarter. TMP led by four to start the quarter but Smith Center came back and took a three-point lead.
Over the final three minutes of the game TMP took the lead twice only to see Smith Center tie the game back up.
Then with just seven second left, and the game tied at 50, TMP’s VonLintel collected an offensive rebound and put it in giving TMP the 52-50 victory.
VonLintel led all scorers with a new season-high 22 points. Emilee Lane added nine points and nine rebounds.
TMP will face Phillipsburg in Saturday’s championship game after they beat Russell 55-42.
Boys: TMP 46, Norton 29
In the final game of the night TMP (7-2, 4-0 MCL) used a strong third quarter to pull away from the Norton Bluejays (7-3, 4-0 MCL) and pick up a 46-29 victory.
TMP’s Jace Wentling scored the games first four points for a 4-0 TMP lead but after Norton answered with three points of their own the game saw both offenses struggle for a good portion of the first quarter.
After TMP built an 8-6 first quarter lead Kenton Ginther opened the second quarter with the first of his game-high four three’s on the night to put TMP up 11-6.
A second straight Ginther three put TMP up by five at 14-9. The Monarchs led by as much as seven in the first half but Norton was able to close the gap to just two at 19-17 at half-time.
The third quarter belonged to TMP and was the difference in the game.
The Monarchs outscored Norton 16-6 in the quarter and converted on four of their seven three point field goals in the quarter to take a 35-23 lead into the fourth quarter.
TMP outscored Norton by five in the fourth quarter on their way to the 46-29 win.
Ginther led all scorers with that career-high 14 points.
TMP will take on Trego who edged Phillipsburg on a last-second shot 39-37.