Madison Central blows out Madison Southern in impressive fashion

It’s been nearly five years since Madison Central dropped a game to Madison Southern—the Indians kept that streak alive with a big District 44 victory Tuesday night at Berea College.

“I thought we adjusted and did what we needed to do,” Madison Central head coach Allen Feldhaus said. “Based on who we were playing, as far as the press was concerned. We’re just kind of limited depth wise … but [we played] good.”

First Quarter: Madison Central 13, Madison Southern 12

Madison Central was off to a quick start after scoring their first bucket within four seconds of the opening tip.

Central kept that same pace up the rest of the quarter thanks to Trey Skaggs’ six-straight points in the paint directly after.

Nice take from Trey Skaggs pic.twitter.com/otdN8NyCwz

— Barkley Truax (@BarkleyTruax) December 15, 2021

“He’s our most valuable player because he’s the one we cannot play without,” Feldhaus said of Skaggs. “He has a ball in his hands all the time. We gave him the toughest assignment on defense guarding [Jay] Rose. He’s really playing well.”

Skaggs finished with 15 points on 5-6 shooting to go with six assists and two steals. He held Rose to 17 points—which seems like a lot until you realize he missed 11 shots on 7-18 shooting, including 1-8 from three.

Jayden West was the first man off the bench for Central. While he only notched two points in the opening quarter, his quickness opened the floor up enough for his teammates, allowing Central to take a one-point lead at the end of the period.

“West came in and really gave us a real spark defensively,” Feldhaus said.

END 1Q | MC 13, MS 12 pic.twitter.com/kT5taaDtRl

— Barkley Truax (@BarkleyTruax) December 15, 2021

HALF: Madison Central 37, Madison Southern 21

A quick 6-0 start to the quarter extended the Central lead to seven thanks to a three-pointer from West and an and-one bucket from Skaggs.

Madison Southern cut the lead to 19-18—but that’s as close as they would get for the rest of the night. Central went on an 18-6 run to end the quarter. Bad shot selection, turnovers and forcing plays that weren’t available ended the game before the halftime buzzer.

It was Will Hardin’s back-to-back three-pointers that ignited the Indian run and his teammates backed him up on ensuing possessions. Hardin finished the half with 11 points while Skaggs led both teams at the break with 13.

Will Hardin for three. Central leads 25-18, 2Q 2:15 pic.twitter.com/JmiX7g0OEW

— Barkley Truax (@BarkleyTruax) December 15, 2021

While the Central offense certainly showed sparks, they were equally impressive defensively. The Indians held Madison Southern to 36 percent (9-25) from the field and just 21 percent (3-14) from deep. Nate Turner led all Eagles with nine points at the break.

Third Quarter: Central 57, Southern 43

The third quarter was defined by two plays:

A steal by West led to a wide-open dunk that was directly followed by another steal by West and another wide-open dunk. The Madison Central student section was going crazy, chanting “We can’t hear you” to an opposing student section that was as raucous as any to begin the game.

“Anytime you have a rivalry gang like that playing [at Berea College], big floor—we like that,” Feldhaus said. ”It’s a good little pre-January type matchup where you got to have that tournament atmosphere, so it was good.”

Southern attempted to mount a comeback in the back half of the third but still trailed by 14 entering the final quarter.

END 3Q | Central 57, Southern 43

This bucket counted at the buzzer pic.twitter.com/0BlZOWFL8B

— Barkley Truax (@BarkleyTruax) December 15, 2021

FINAL: Central 70, Southern 55

A three-pointer from Southern’s Rose found the bottom of the net to cut the game to 11 points with 5:34 remaining in regulation. That was as close as they would get, though.

Southern began playing faster mentally than they could physically and Central turned their stellar defense into offense even faster and would hold on to win 70-55.

The Indians would finish with four players in double figures: Hardin (21), Skaggs (15), West (11) and Robby Todd (15). Todd played a major factor in the win, as it was his job to clean up the glass, grabbing 12 boards (seven offensive rebounds) on the night to complete the double-double.

Overall Central shot 46 percent (23-50) from the field (4-12, 33 percent from three) and shot 69 percent (20-29) from the line. They also forced 20 turnovers, in part due to their defensive pressure in the halfcourt.

The Indians will be back in action on Dec. 18 against Knox Central at Rowan County at 5 p.m. in the Stock Yards Bank & Trust Challenge.