A lackluster season for the Central Methodist women drew to a close in the Heart of America Conference Tournament quarterfinals Wednesday night in Dubuque, Iowa. A year after sweeping the regular-season and postseason Heart titles with a record that remained unblemished until the national semifinal, the Lady Eagles entered the Heart Tournament as the eighth seed. Once again, their season ended at the hands of Clarke University, seeded first. The score was 80-67. Still unknown is the reason for the absence of head coach Mike Davis, who has not been with the team since November. The university acknowledged that Davis is still employed but steadfastly refused to comment further on his rumored suspension. Coach Davis also did not respond to an inquiry by this newspaper. Assistant coach Camden Levett took over as head coach through most of the season. Central opened the season 4-3 overall through November before posting a 9-13 record through Wednesday’s game. Central has had a difficult time against Clarke, which spoiled the Lady Eagle’s near-perfect season a year ago. On Wednesday, Central stayed in front for the majority of the first quarter, leading by as many as six points. But the Pride would find their shooting rhythm late in the opening frame, ending the opening period with a 7-2 run over the last three minutes to claim a 22-17. Clarke extended its lead to as many as 11 in the second before heading into halftime up 45-35. Central erased all but one point of its deficit, scoring the first nine points of the second half over the opening 4:03. Clarke, however, maintained its lead through the third and once again found its footing. The Pride scored 18 points in just four minutes to stretch their lead back out to double digits. Central came as close as seven points in the fourth but couldn’t outpace the No. 1 seed, falling by 13 in the Lady Eagle’s final game of the season. CMU Senior B’Aunce Carter led the offense with 17 points to go along with eight rebounds and two steals. Tynesha Parnell followed with 15 points, which included three 3-point baskets. Zutorya Cook rounded out Central’s double-digit scorers with 14 points in addition to eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Genet Mebratu nearly cracked double-figures with eight points, while Sharay Trotter tallied six points, a team-high nine rebounds, two steals, a block, and an assist. The Eagles held a slight advantage in overall shooting but were vastly outrebounded by the Pride on the glass, 48-35. Clarke also made 25 trips to the charity stripe, knocking down 72 percent of their attempts. Central finishes the year with a 13-16 overall record and a 10-14 mark in the Heart of America.3-6-2024