The Worthington Trojans girls basketball burst out to a 23-point halftime lead Tuesday night and went out to defeat Jackson County Central 77-60 in the WHS gym.
Madison Beckmann hit five 3-point shots in the first half alone as her 15 points helped the Trojans to a 45-22 advantage at the break. Jackson County Central kept fighting and was able to close the gap to seven points in the second half, but Worthington was once again able to build a large lead.
Beckmann wound up with 19 points for the Trojans, who improved to 4-12 overall – with two of those wins coming against the Huskies. WHS edged JCC 80-79 in Jackson in December.
Also chipping in for Worthington were New Gora and Pham Gora, who each hit for 18 points. New Gora was sharp from the free-throw line in the second half, making her last eight in a row.
For the Huskies, Rylie Cother tallied a game-high 30 points and Kylee Wenzel contributed 19. JCC is now 12-5.
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In boys basketball, it was the Trojans outlasting Jackson County Central 87-85 in double overtime in Jackson. The victory improves WHS to 9-6 on the year and snaps a two-game losing streak.
Kaleb Knothe’s two free throws with a little more than five seconds to go in the third overtime were the game’s final points. The Huskies had gotten a buzzer-beater to force the second extra period of the night.
Zach Hayenga had 27 points for the Trojans and Andrew Mulder added 26. Jacari Swinea also chipped in with 21 points and Knothe had 11.
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The Worthington Trojans gymnastics team had an outstanding outing as they won a dual meet Tuesday night against Blue Earth, 142.325 to 132.8.
Hali Bullerman had another strong night for Worthington, capturing the all-around competition with a total score of 37.425 points. Bullerman was first on the beam with a 9.625, first on the bars with a 9.275 and first on the vault with a 9.575. The Trojans’ Addison Gerber was tops on the floor at 9.35.
Other WHS gymnasts placing in individual events Tuesday were Gerber, second on the beam, bars and vault; Kenadie Thiner, third on the floor; and Brooklyn Dykstra, third on the bars.
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The Trojans’ boys hockey team went on the road to Austin Tuesday night and came away with a 4-2 victory.
Worthington spotted Austin a 2-0 edge before Spenser Nickel scored on an assist from Anthony Jimenez at 11:31 of the second period. A little more than a minute later, Easton Newman tied the game, with Nickel and Ian Bumgardner each getting credited with assists.
With a little more than two minutes left in period number two, Jimenez scored on a feed from Newman for a 3-2 lead. WHS got its last goal at 7:12 of the third when Newman scored on a pass from Jimenez.
The Trojans had 45 shots on goal compared to 22 for Austin. WHS is now 5-13.
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In area girls basketball action Tuesday night, it was:
Westbrook-Walnut Grove 76, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 44
Edgerton 74, Red Rock Central 25
Southwest Minnesota Christian 67, Murray County Central 43
Adrian-Ellsworth 40, Hills-Beaver Creek 34
Minneota 66, Pipestone Area 34
Mountain Lake Area-Comfrey 49, Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda 29
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 66, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 47
Windom 76, St. James Area 56
Fairmont 52, Redwood Valley 39
Brandon Valley, S.D. 44, Marshall 41
Unity Christian 69, Sheldon 24
West Lyon 51, Boyden-Hull 22
Sioux Center 65, Central Lyon 57
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn 48, Harris-Lake Park 41
E-LC 45, Spirit Lake 29
In area boys basketball:
Pipestone Area 85, Southwest Minnesota Christian 67
Windom 86, St. James Area 76
Brandon Valley, S.D. 76, Marshall 54
Unity Christian 81, Sheldon 37
West Lyon 76, Boyden-Hull 51
Sioux Center 72, Central Lyon 40
MOC-Floyd Valley 94, Sibley-Ocheyedan 31
Harris-Lake Park 58, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn 40
E-LC 72, Spirit Lake 70
In area girls hockey:
Luverne 6, Waseca 0
Windom Area 3, Morris-Benson Area 2 (OT)
