College Insider: Locals have sparked Central State women this season

Two local athletes have played key roles for the Central State University women’s basketball team this year.

Sophomore guard Takyra Gilbert, a Hamilton High School graduate, is the Marauders’ leading scorer, but only played in 12 games before suffering a season-ending injury. She averaged 18.3 points, three rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.5 steals per contest.

Freshman guard Brooke Spaulding (Fairfield) has stepped up in Gilbert’s absence. Spaulding has made 11 starts and is averaging 11.6 points, 2.6 boards, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

CSU is 19-5 overall and tops the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference West Division with a 13-3 mark.

The Marauders will travel to Tuskegee (Ala.) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

• Freshman guards Lauren Gerber (Edgewood) and Jules Howard (Lakota West) have both played in 13 games off the bench for Thomas More, which is 22-1 overall and 16-0 in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference.

Gerber is averaging 2.2 points and 0.9 rebounds per game. She’s shooting 52.9 percent from the floor and 80 percent from the line.

Howard has totaled 9 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals.

The Saints will travel to Saint Vincent (Pa.) on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

Men's indoor track & field: Mount Vernon Nazarene junior Joey McDonald (Lebanon) set a school record in the shot put at the Crossroads League Championships on Feb. 9-10 at Indiana Wesleyan.

McDonald won the event with a throw of 53 feet, 4.44 inches, which met the NAIA “A” standard. He will compete at the NAIA Indoor Championships on March 1-3 in Pittsburg, Kan.

MVNU took fifth place out of 10 teams in the Crossroads event. The Cougars will travel to the Kenyon Classic on Saturday at noon.

• Ohio Northern freshman Sam Krabacher (Badin) took third place in the 800 meters at the All-Ohio Championships in Westerville last Saturday.

Krabacher’s time was 1:57.86. The Polar Bears finished ninth out of 18 teams.

ONU will compete in the Kenyon Classic on Saturday at noon.

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