Lady Knights fire on all cylinders in victory against Mid-Atlantic Christian
By Paul Miller
Knightly News Co-Adviser
Photos by Hannah Pasquarella
Knightly News Sports Photographer
The Central Penn College Lady Knights were victorious in their contest against the Mid-Atlantic Christian Mustangs on Tuesday, winning by a score of 77-53 in a USCAA contest from East Pennsboro Middle School.
The Lady Knights played one of their most complete games of the season, showing their talent in the frontcourt and depth across their starting rotation.
The game started off on a sour note for the Lady Knights, as star freshman Nadirah Tutler left the game in the early minutes with a shoulder injury. But that didn’t stop Central Penn from imposing their will against the Mustangs in the early going.
The first quarter was dominated by senior guard Cayla Thomas, starting the scoring with an early layup and following that with three made free throws later in the frame. Thomas was also a force on defense, disrupting passing lanes and coming up with a key steal in the first.
With Tutler out in the early going, the Lady Knights had to lean into others in the frontcourt to assert their will, with Kayana Chisholm and Aliya Wallace adding a combined seven rebounds in the first quarter alone.
After another Thomas layup, the Lady Knights managed a six-point lead at the end of the quarter, leading 17-11.
With about eight minutes left in the second quarter, the Lady Knights continued their offensive barrage, as Icys Carroll hit a deep 3-pointer to extend the lead to 11, 22-11.
Fortunately for the Lady Knights, Tutler was able to reenter the contest with about five minutes to go in the second quarter, dodging a key potential injury.
Thomas continued her dominance in the second quarter, leading Central Penn with two clutch 3-point baskets and continuing her excellence from the free-throw line. The second of the two 3-pointers came with about a minute left in the second quarter, giving the Lady Knights a commanding 42-23 lead going into halftime.
The Lady Knights continued their solid play at the beginning of the third quarter, scoring on five consecutive possessions in the first three minutes of the frame, with Tutler converting on three of those possessions.
Tutler continued to make her presence felt in the paint, collecting six rebounds in the third quarter alone and helping the Knights to extend their lead.
Mid-Atlantic Christian tried to keep pace, as guard Lily McLean caught fire, scoring on two of three possessions in the middle part of the quarter while assisting on the other.
With an Isabel Lapoe jumper with about a minute left in the third, the Lady Knights held a 22-point lead going to the fourth.
As the final quarter began, Thomas hit a quick layup to continue to grow the Lady Knights’ lead. But that would be the last bucket for Central Penn until 4:31 left in the game. During those five minutes, the Mustangs put together their best run of the evening, capped off by a Kaytee Reich basket, to bring the score to 61-45.
But just when the Mustangs looked like they were going to make a charge, Central Penn closed the door, drawing six fouls, getting to the line for 10 free throws, converting on eight. This allowed the Lady Knights to slow the Mustangs on their way to a 77-53 victory.
This game was clearly a team effort. While Thomas led the way in scoring, everyone who played on the evening logged at least 20 minutes. The Knights also dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Mustangs 46-33, with four different Lady Knights pulling down at least seven boards.
The Weis Knightly News Player of the Game was Thomas, pouring in 32 points while adding eight steals and five assists. Chisholm had a double-double, with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Wallace had a career-high six points and four rebounds while playing all 40 minutes.
For the Mustangs, Carly James and Sashay Thompson tied for the team lead with 12 points. McLean added eight points and a team-high seven rebounds.
With the victory, Central Penn improved to 2-4 on the season. They will travel to play Penn State York this Saturday for their final game of 2025, returning home on Jan. 11, 2026, for their next matchup.
The Knightly News Media Club will be broadcasting all of the Central Penn College men’s and women’s home games during the 2025-26 season. You can tune in at https://www.youtube.com/@KnightlyNewsCPC.
On this broadcast, Dr. Paul Miller and Dalton Koller were on the call, with Alex Foley producing the show.
