WEST POINT - In a battle of unbeatens, the Crofton girls withstood a late rally and pulled away late to beat Guardian Angels Central Catholic 55-45 on Saturday.

The Mid-State Conference rivalry was as intense defensively as ever, as the Warriors used a series of turnovers to force an early 11-point lead.

The Blue Jays found their groove offensively late in the second and the third quarter, eventually taking the lead in the third.

But Crofton found answer after answer, eventually pulling away for the ten-point win.

Crofton was incredibly efficient on offense, especially senior all-stater Caitlin Guenther, whose only miss from the field on the evening came on a blocked shot.

GACC had beaten Crofton on five straight occasions before Saturday, including their last meeting in the Class C2 third-place game at the 2023 state tournament.

Saturday's game was the first real challenge for both squads. The Blue Jays had come into the night beating their first four opponents by an average of 36 points per game. Crofton's average margin of victory before Saturday had been 53 points.

GAME SUMMARY: 

CROFTON (5-0) - 11 14 12 18 - 55 

GACC (4-1)         -  5 13 16 11 - 45

TEAM STATS:

CROFTON

 - FG: 19/34 (55.9%)

 - 3P: 6/12 (50%)

 - FT: 11/18 (61.1%)

GACC

 - FG: 18/47 (38.3%)

 - 3P: 4/12 (33.3%)

 - FT: 5/14 (35.7%)

INDIVIDUAL STATS:

 - CROFTON: Caitlin Guenther - 18 pts, Sammie Allen - 12 pts, Ellie Tramp - 11 pts, Cassie Allen - 5 pts, Hannah Schieffer - 4 pts, Jordyn Arens - 3 pts, Lexi Wiebelhaus - 2 pts

- GACC: Izzy Kreikemeier - 10 pts, Jocelynn Skoda - 9 pts, Isabel Hass - 9 pts, Kelsy Steffen - 8 pts, Adyson Luebbert - 4 pts, Ava Nixon - 3 pts, Abigail Toline - 1 pt, Charlie Dinslage - 1 pt