MITCHELL — Centerville flipped an eight-point deficit into an eight-point victory at Saturday’s Hanson Classic.

The Class B No. 1 Tornadoes used a strong third-quarter and some blistering 3-point shooting to pick up a 55-47 girls basketball win over Class B No. 4 Ethan at the Corn Palace. 

Centerville (12-0) won its 23rd consecutive game, and a 21-12 third-quarter margin spurred the win over Ethan in a marquee Class B matchup. 

“It’s a big one and the reason it’s a big one is because it’s a high-quality opponent that’s very well coached and that’s ultimately what makes it special because that is a fantastic team,” Centerville coach Tucker Tornberg said. “A fantastic coach and they had a great game plan for us tonight. We had to make some adjustments. We were down at half and we had to fight through some adversity, do some different things and ultimately the grit and the toughness of our team played out.”

The Tornadoes placed four players in double figures, led by Izzie Eide’s 15 points, seven rebounds and three 3-pointers. Centerville nailed 11 3-pointers and locked down Ethan (8-2) in the second half. 

“It was very big,” Eide said about the win. “Ethan was No. 4 so we had to come out strong and get on them right away.” 

Keira Austin added 11 points and three 3-pointers. Althea Gust and Emma Marshall scored 10 points apiece. 

Ethan’s Marissa Storm scored 17 points and Ella Pollreisz had 15 points. Storm and Pollreisz grabbed five rebounds apiece. Taziah Hawkins added 10 points for Ethan, which held a 25-20 halftime lead. 

But in the second half, Tornberg stressed eliminating turnovers and Centerville relied on its defense to spark the third-quarter surge. 

“I think the difference was defensively we did a better job of keeping them from getting downhill,” Tornberg said. “I think that team thrives off of getting to the paint and kicking out and shooting threes. They are really good at that and I thought our players did a better job of containing the dribble a little bit and not allowing for that.”

The Rustlers stretched their lead to eight points (28-20) early in the third quarter. But Centerville used a 13-3 spurt and jumped ahead 36-31. After the teams exchanged the lead two times, Eide banked in a shot off an offensive rebound for a 41-37 lead going into the fourth quarter.  

“We got up on them right away and quit our turnovers and got to the hoop,” Eide said about the third quarter.

The Tornadoes maintained their lead in the fourth quarter and Eide drilled back-to-back 3-pointers in the closing seconds to highlight a 14-10 final frame. 

Gust, an all-state player, drew Ethan’s defensive attention and regularly faced a box-and-one defense. But Centerville showed off its depth as other players added to the offensive production.  

“We have enough firepower offensively that when we take care of the basketball, we are going to score,” Tornberg said. 

On defense, Gust guarded Hawkins and helped hold the high-scoring guard to 3-of-9 from the field and 2-of-5 from the 3-point line. Earlier this season, Hawkins went off for 29 points and nine 3-pointers against Avon. 

“Althea did a heckuva job on her,” Tornberg said. “That’s the impact of the game of a player like Thea is not only did they have to focus a player entirely to guarding her, but she also guards people’s best player night in and night out and it’s a testament to the countless hours behind the scenes that kid has put into leading into her senior year.”

Ethan hosts Corsica-Stickney on Jan. 23.

Centerville will play at Freeman on Jan. 21 as Tornberg is keeping the players focused on the next game on the schedule.   

“We just focus on the next one and ultimately we talk about that with our shooting,” Tornberg said. “The most important shot is the next one. The most important game is the next one, too.”