Photo by Nick Henthorn Monroe Central’s Mayzie Emery shoots a 3-pointer against the Buckeye Local Panthers during the Seminole’s road victory over the Panthers, 60-28

RAYLAND — There are fast starts, then there is Monroe Central’s start Wednesday night against homestanding Buckeye Local.

The Seminoles started 5-5 from 3-point range against the Panthers, jumping out to a lead immediately with a long ball from Riley Bettinger and leading wire-to-wire from there, winning 60-28.

“I liked the way we started the game out, number one,” Monroe Central head coach Troy Baker said. “I thought our defense was good, and everything works better when you’re making shots too.”

Bettinger led Monroe Central with 16 in the road victory, also grabbing seven rebounds, four offensive.

Bettinger made a pair of 3-pointers in the game, both coming in the first couple minutes of the contest. Bettinger, Jacey English and Mayzie Emery helped the ‘Noles ambush the Panthers with five quick 3’s which immediately put the visitors in the position of protecting a lead, up 23-7 after the first quarter.

Monroe went 5/6 in the first quarter from distance, shooting 9/17 on the game. English led with three 3-pointers while Bettinger, Emery and Jaysa Henthorn all tossed in two.

When the Seminoles did miss, they were often afforded a second chance through nine offensive rebounds in the game and a handful of deflections out of bounds after misses which went in their favor. The rebounding discrepancy became more pronounced going through the second quarter, Monroe Central using their inside-outside advantage to lead 37-19 going into the half.

Pam Kandrach did spark the Buckeye Local bench with an and-one underneath the basket with one second to play before halftime, but there was no comeback in the cards come the third quarter, the Seminoles winning the frame 19-2.

The Panthers did earn more trips to the foul line than their opponents, but couldn’t make the Seminoles pay for fouling, shooting 8-22 from the stripe. Monroe Central shot 3-6.

“When you’re making shots, everybody’s faster, quicker,” Baker said. “Things just work better when you’re making shots.”

Alongside Bettinger, English scored 13 points and nabbed seven steals with five rebounds and three assists. Emery scored 12, and Henthorn scored six. Willow Smitley grabbed six rebounds, tying for the team-high with Bettinger.

“We’re very young but we have some scorers,” Baker said. “When you can score, you can win.”

Pam Kandrach scored seven points with eight rebounds to lead the Panthers. Alyssa Dailey and Lizzie Stock each added six.

“We felt like we did not come out with the defensive intensity that we’ve preached in practice, and we left some of their really good shooters wide-open,” Buckeye Local head coach Bailey McBeth said. “They knocked down some shots and seized the momentum early. We were never able to catch back up after that.”

Monroe Central moves to 8-2 while the Panthers fall to 6-6.