92.1 KMZA Broadcast - Hanover at Centralia (girls) - click here to listen 
92.1 KMZA Broadcast - Hanover at Centralia (boys) - click here to listen

The battle of the cats in the Twin Valley League pitted Class 1A-DI ranked teams against each other in Centralia on Friday night as the Panthers hosted the Hanover Wildcats in league action. At the end of the night it was split between the two squads as the Centralia girls came from behind to win 55-48 in overtime and the Hanover boys used a strong second quarter to gain the 56-43 win. 

A battle of top three teams and unbeaten teams started the night in the girl's varsity action and the road team in Hanover got off to a solid start establishing a 14-7 lead after the first quarter led by Macy Doebele who notched seven of the Wildcats first 14 points. The lead grew to double digits for Hanover in the second quarter to as high as 11 points at 22-11 but Centralia ultimately matched Hanvoer in the second frame and went into the half down 24-17. The Panthers went on a run in the third quarter lead by Morgan Kramer who scored nine points in the third and Centralia had two layups in the final seconds of the third to take their first lead but came up short going into the fourth down 31-30. The lead came Centralia's way 50 seconds into the fourth taking a 32-31 lead, but the teams traded leads down the stretch. Kramer hit a three to tie it at 44-44 and the Panthers then had an opportunity to win the game in the final seconds but an offensive foul turned the ball over and Hanover had an opportunity for the win with 5.6 seconds left. Claire Zarybnicky tossed a three-pointer at the buzzer up but it was blocked and the game went to overtime. Centralia established their largest lead of the game in overtime and behind some free throws posted 11-4 overtime and earned the 55-48 win. 

Centralia with the win moved to 7-0 on the season and 6-0 in TVL play, while extending their winning streak to 30-straight games. Cassidy Haufler led the Panthers on the night with 17 points and was steady throughout the game, while Kramer posted 14 points all in the second half and both earned co-Community National Bank "Player to Bank On" honors on KMZA. 

The loss is just the first of the season for Hanover falling to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in TVL as Doebele scored 14 points to lead the team on the night and Ashton Jueneman chipped in 10 points. 

In the night cap Centralia boys pounced early establishing a 7-0 lead in the first couple of minutes but Hanover took over after that answering with a 7-0 run of their own to tie the game and then led 11-9 after the first quarter. The lead ballooned to double figures in the second quarter as the Wildcats went up 19-9 with 6:05 remaining in the first half and behind 13 points by Carter Bruna in the quarter Hanover outscored Centralia 21-10 in the frame and led 32-19 at the half. That first half lead held up for Hanover in the second half as Centralia attempted runs and in the final two minutes of the game Centralia drew close but the Wildcats hit free throws and made plays to secure the 56-43 taking advantage of around 20 turnovers for the Panthers. 

The loss is Centralia's fourth straight and they fall to 3-4 on the year and 2-4 in TVL action. Collin Holthaus led the Panthers in the loss scoring eight points. 

Hanover with the win improved to 4-2 on the season and 3-1 in TVL action as Carter Bruna led the way on the night finishing with 17 points to earn Community National Bank "Player to Bank On" honors. Michael Jueneman chipped in 14 points for the Wildcats. 

The two teams are scheduled for another showdown coming on January 24th at Hanover but both teams turn their attention to their next game on Tuesday which is the final game before the TVL Tournament for both teams. Hanover will travel to Valley Heights, while Centralia travels to Clifton-Clyde on Tuesday.