Burlington Central pulls away from Marengo

Burlington Central finally got some shots to drop in the second half, and when they did, the Rockets started to pull away from Marengo.

Central broke away from a halftime tie with a big third quarter and went on to defeat the Indians, 61-50 in Big Northern East boys basketball action in Burlington Friday night.

Ta Vontae Harris scored 16 points, and Ryan Fitzgerald had 11 points and 11 rebounds for Central (11-2, 4-0).

In the first half, it seemed as if the Rockets couldn't throw a beach ball into the ocean, shooting just under 24 percent. The biggest issue for the Rockets' marksmanship was Benjamin Volkening. The Indians' 6-foot-8 center stationed himself in the middle and wouldn't let anything past. He blocked 7 shots in the first half and altered many more.

The Rockets stayed in the game with their defense, forcing 13 Marengo turnovers. The Indians shot 50 percent from the floor in the first half, but attempted just 18 shots due to ball-security issues.

After intermission, the Rockets were able to get the ball back out of the post and knock down some open 3-pointers, and that in turn opened up the game.

"We got the ball into the post," said Harris. "We needed to attack the basket (against Marengo's 2-3 zone). That allowed open threes on the wings."

Indeed, after opening the second half with a free throw and a couple of layups, the Rockets' next 4 baskets were 3-pointers: one each by Harris and Zach Schutta and 2 in a row by Joseph Ratzek. The last one gave the Rockets a 39-29 lead.

Marengo once got within 3 in the fourth quarter but otherwise never threatened. The Rockets closed out the game by hitting 13 of 15 free throws in the fourth quarter. Harris was 6-for-7 from the line.

"The way we've been playing this year, the kids feel confident playing with a lead," said Central coach Brett Porto. "It seems like we've got five guys on the floor that want the ball and want to go to the free throw line. That's a nice feeling to have as a coach late in games."

Baker Mayfield added 10 points and 6 rebounds for Central, while Ratzek finished with 8 points off the bench.

Mike Volkening led Marengo with 14 points and 9 rebounds, while Zach Knobloch added 13 points. Benjamin Volkening finished with 8 blocks and 7 rebounds.