Another outstanding defensive effort for the Crusader girls. Here, Cruz Cornejo vies for the ball at the half-court line against this Rose Hill girl. 

By Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — The Wellington girls officially won their fifth consecutive Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League Div. IV Championship with a 59-3 victory over Rose Hill on homecoming night in Wellington.

The Wellington boys fell to Rose Hill 64-45, dropping their sixth straight and falling to 3-16.

For the girls, Wellington mustered that rare feat of holding an opponent to no field goals. Rose Hill scored all its points at the free-throw line. Things were so desperate that the Rocket girls took five shots in the final minute, only to miss all five.

Wellington’s Viv Wright scored 12 points, lifting Wellington to an easy win. 

The Wellington girls led 15-1 at the end of the first quarter and 37-1 at the end of the second. The Crusaders outscored the Rockets 18-2 in the third and 6-0 in the running clock fourth quarter.

It was an even distribution of scoring: Lyndi Barton 12, Vivienne Wright 12, Cruz Cornejo 9, Dru Zeka 7, Kirstyn Gregory 6, Isabelle Newman 3, Kinley Gregory 3, Claire Ginter 2 and Georgia Gulick 1.

Wellington’s Cooper Hatfield was 4-of-8 at the free throw line Friday night. 

In the boys’ game, Wellington fell behind 11-0 to start the game, and it was a deficit it could not overcome the rest of the way. Wellington trailed 17-7 at teh end of the first quarter and it was 27-17 at the half. The Crusaders narrowed the margin to four in the third and trailed 40-31 going into the fourth.

Wellington was within five after Cooper Hatfield hit two free throws at the 4:03 mark. Then Rose Hill would score eight consecutive points in a matter of a minute and would speed away from there, winning by 19 points, the largest point differential for the game.

Wellington was led by sophomore Fisher Elder with 15 points. Cole Zeka had 10, Kaden Darby 7, Cooper Hatfield 7, Milo Elder 4, and Jackson Newman 2. Rose Hill was led by Isaac Hill with 20 points. Easter Meyer had 16.

The Crusader teams will travel to Clearwater on Tuesday before hosting El Dorado on Thursday to wrap up the regular season.