Lady Pintos top Centralia 53-38 at MRMC Shootout in Moberly

California freshman guard Elizabeth Lutz (pictured earlier this season) had 18 points Monday night in the Lady Pintos' 53-38 victory over Centralia at Moberly Area Community College.
California freshman guard Elizabeth Lutz (pictured earlier this season) had 18 points Monday night in the Lady Pintos' 53-38 victory over Centralia at Moberly Area Community College.

The California girls basketball team continued its upward trend Monday night, putting together another solid performance with a 53-38 victory over Centralia at the MRMC Shootout at Moberly Area Community College.

The Lady Pintos jumped out to an early 12-7 lead and pushed the advantage to 30-18 at halftime. Centralia kept the game close in the third quarter, but California pulled away in the fourth.

Freshman guard Elizabeth Lutz had 18 points for the Lady Pintos, while senior forward Kelsey Roush finished with nine points and senior guard Kamryn Koetting scored seven.

"Centralia is a good, solid program," California head coach Bobby Sangster said. "It was a fun holiday ball game."

After beginning the season 2-4, the Lady Pintos have wins over Hermann and Centralia to even their record. California next plays Mexico at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Gary Filbert Classic at Mexico.

"We're fortunate enough to put a couple wins together," Sangster said. "We're getting better every day."

Tipton 80, Otterville 13

The Lady Cardinals continue to breeze through their schedule, dominating Otterville on Monday at the WK Holiday Shootout at State Fair Community College in Sedalia.

Senior forward Ashton Pace and junior guard Destiny Dowell each scored 19 points for Tipton, while sophomore guard Alyson Brant had 18 points and senior center Paige Baker added 13 points and 16 rebounds.

The Lady Cardinals, who improved to 10-0 this season, are ranked No. 4 in Class 2 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association. Tipton has never gone undefeated through 10 games in program history.

"The girls are not satisfied," Lady Cardinals head coach Jason Culpepper said. "They want to be 11-0, then 12-0. They want to win every game. There hasn't been any letdown."

Tipton's next game comes against Fayette at 4:30 p.m. Jan. 6 at the New Franklin Tournament.