CLAFLIN – The No. 1 ranked Central Plains struggled shooting the basketball against rival St. John.

But the Oilers’ defense held the Tigers under control in a solid 54-28 non-league basketball victory. The five-time state champion Oilers (5-0) have swept 89 consecutive basketball victories.

All-stater Emily Ryan missed all her 3-pointers but netted 16 points along with Avery Hurley 14 points and six steals. Ryan led the Oilers with five assists, five blocks and eight rebounds, but never forced the action under the watchful recruiting eye of University of Oklahoma head basketball coach Sherry Coale.

The Oilers converted 4 of 23 3-pointers, but did convert 16 of 20 free throws.

“It was one of those nights where we struggled making outside shots,” said Central Plains coach Pat Stiles. “We’re normally a better shooting team, 40 percent on 3-pointers. St. John did a good job throwing a lot of defensive looks at us. They did a good job.”

The Oilers broke the game open with a 20-point third quarter. Ryan scored eight points and Jennah Jeffrey and Rachel Lamatsch hit 3-pointers.

St. John (2-3) executed a solid strategy by protecting the basketball and earning high-quality shots. The Tigers made 9 of 20 field goals through three quarters.

Stylish ninth-grader Darby Smith handled the ball superbly and scored seven points. Paige Doran added six points.

“We did a lot of things well tonight, better than we have,” said St. John coach Danny Smith. “We were pleased the girls played hard and kept battling out there. We did a lot of good things tonight and showed improvement.”

The Tigers (2-3) play Hesston and Central Plains journeys to Haven Friday.

St. John            6   9  10  3  — 28

Central Plains   11 11 20 12 — 54

ST. JOHN (2-3)—Payton Meyer 1-4 0-0 2; Smith 1-5 4-4 7; Bree Meyer 0-3 0-0 0; Dowling 0-1 0-0 0; Crissman 2-9 0-0 5; Rios 1-2 1-2 4; Claussen 2-2 0-0 4; Doran 3-6 0-1 6; Totals 10-32 5-7 28

CENTRAL PLAINS (5-0)—Emily Ryan 5-11 6-6 16; A. Hurley 4-13 4-6 14; Lamatsch 1-6 2-2 5; Rugan 1-7 1-2 3; Cunningham 1-2 0-0 2; Jeffrey 1-4 0-0 3; Crites 4-5 3-4 11; Totals 17-48 16-20 54

3-pointers—SJ 3-12 (Rios 1-1, Crissman 1-3, Smith 1-3, P. Meyer 0-1, B. Meyer 0-2, Dowling 0-1), CP 4-23 (Hurley 2-4, Lamatsch 1-6, Jeffrey 1-4, Rugan 0-4, Ryan 0-5). Rebounds—CP 28 (Ryan 8, Lamatsch 8). Assists—CP 10 (Ryan 5). Steals—CP 17 (A. Hurley 6).  

GIRLS CENTRAL PRAIRIE

Ellinwood 1-0 3-2

Macksville 1-0 1-4

Central Plains 0-0 5-0

Otis-Bison 0-0 4-0

Kinsley 0-0 4-1

St. John 0-0 3-2

Victoria 0-0 3-2

Ness City 0-1 1-4

LaCrosse 0-1 1-3

TUESDAY

Ellinwood 50, Ell-Saline 40

Central Christian 42, Macksville 38

Hodgeman Co. 56, Ness City 31

Central Plains 54, St. John 28

Kinsley 53, Skyline 27

Victoria 48, Osborne 35

FRIDAY

Central Plains at Haven

Ellis at Ellinwood

Hesston at St. John

LaCrosse at Otis-Bison

Macksville at Stafford

Ness City at Kinsley